


Cinderella!!! On Ice! (But My Name's Not Cinderella??!!)

by cindersanddiamonds



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: A little bit of Prince and the Pauper, Cinderella AU, M/M, Name subject to change, No Dirty Scenes, Some partial nudity, To Be Continued?, it only lasts like two seconds, just baths, not that you can see it, still havent given a name to the nikiforov parents lol, why do i do this to my fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 20:14:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 82,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11320866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cindersanddiamonds/pseuds/cindersanddiamonds
Summary: Hey there, my name is Yuuri Katsuki! I have no idea why I'm standing here next to this giant pumpkin carriage and on the way to the ball, and I don't really want to go, but the prince invited me specifically, which was completely out of the blue, and I think I might get in trouble if I turn down his invitation, so I'm going anyway. I hope Lady Baronovskya will not be mad at me... Oh, scratch that, she totally will be! Vicchan, wish me luck!--Hi hi! Viktor Nikiforov here. It's been so long since I've seen my beloved Yuuri, I might just faint when he shows up at the ball! Yakov's been mean to me, not letting me go visit him, ever since I found him wandering on that frozen lake so long ago! All I ever wanted was to be friends with him. Ah, but tonight, maybe we'll even get to dance together! I can't wait! Makkachin, I think it's love!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ahahahahahhahahahaha Here it is I guess
> 
> In which Yuuri is a Pauper and Viktor is a Prince, and Yuuri get's lost on the wrong side of the lake!

Yuuri’s mother used to read him fairy tale stories before bed when he was little. His father always thought that they would give him a false pretense of the real world, but she read them anyway, believing that Yuuri needed a little imagination to grow, and a little fantasy to get through the day. Yuuri, of course, was only a child, so imagination and curiosity was his entire day. 

He was shy as a kid, so he didn’t have many friends, so he made up his own. Yuko was his favorite, a pretty fairy friend that he insisted gave the warmest hugs. Mrs. Katsuki was endeared, and played along, as did Mr. Katsuki, though he tried to see if the blacksmith and the baker’s sons would want to come and play with Yuuri. But Yuuri didn’t seem interested, saying that he would rather stay in and read with Yuko and Mom. 

When Yuuri was ten, his father bought him a bicycle, but he refused to ride it any farther than the garden wall. When he was eleven, he brought home a stray puppy that he had found on his way home from school. He dubbed him ‘Vicchan’ and the dog went everywhere with him. When he was twelve his mother convinced him to go to the lake to ice skate with some other boys from school. Yuuri reluctantly agreed, and with a heavy heart, left Vicchan home so he wouldn’t get lost while Yuuri skated. The other boys only wanted to push each other around and play on the thinner, shallower parts of the ice to see who could break it first, and Yuuri refused to go anywhere near where they were playing. So he decided to glide off by himself, following the edge of the lake, losing himself in his own little world as he got the hang of staying upright. 

He’d only gone so far before it started to get dark, and he started getting cold and snow started falling. But by the time he was forced to take in his surroundings, he was in a completely different area and he wasn’t sure how far he’d gone. He looked back the way he came, realizing he had gotten himself lost, and that he had somehow reached the other side of the lake. He panicked and started skating back, only to be intercepted by something heavy and very fluffy. Yuuri was knocked to the ice, and the first thought that went through his head was ‘Oh my GOD IT'S A BEAR’ and he scrambled to turn and face his assailant, only to find that it was a very excited puppy, one that looked very much like his beloved poodle.

“V-Vicchan???” He cried, his heart swelling as the dog started licking his face. His puppy had come all this way? But that wasn’t possible, the lake was so large and his small poodle surely would have gotten lost. He laughed and hugged the dog anyway, finding solace in the strange dog’s presence. Suddenly another voice rang out across the frozen lake, and the dog barked, scampering off and sliding towards the voice. 

“Makkachin!” Yuuri looked up, hiccuping as an older boy ran to the side of the lake, scooping the dog up in his arms. “Makkachin, I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you silly pooch.” Still frightened and now feeling more alone than ever, Yuuri watched with eyes like saucers at the silver haired boy, realizing just how far he’d strayed. His gaze went past the boy to the castle towering over the lake, just a short walk from where he sat, the seat of his trousers starting to freeze through. He didn’t even notice when the other boy came over to help him up, almost jumping out of his skin when he heard him speak. If this was the castle, then this must be a noble boy. He certainly dressed like one, he thought. Yuuri’s heart pounded in his chest. 

“Hey, I asked you a question, kid, are you okay?” Yuuri looked up at him, wide eyed and freezing. He squirmed away from the boy, realizing how rude he was being but unable to find his tongue. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you? I’m sorry if I frightened you…” Yuuri just stared up at him, mesmerized. “What’s your name? I’m Viktor, by the way.” 

“I-I- Um- I-I-” He stuttered, unable to place the other boy's name in his panicked state, nor his, for that matter. Makkachin barked, licking Yuuri's skate boot. 

“Well, you can speak at least, that’s a relief.” Viktor sighed. straightening Yuuri's coat collar and brushing the snow off of it. “I was starting to think you were a mute… Do you have a name? Or should I just call you ‘Viktor the Second’?’” Yuuri just blushed in embarrassment, his mouth snapping shut. Viktor laughed. “That’s a no, then. What’s your name?”

“Y-Yuuri-” He blurted, looking away with a sniffle. Viktor nodded, standing and offering his hand. 

“Well, Yuuri, you shouldn’t stay out on the lake like this all night, you’ll catch a cold.” Yuuri just nodded, meekly accepting his help. “Are you lost? Where’d you come from, anyway?” So talkative, Yuuri thought. He almost wished that Viktor hadn’t noticed him, but then again, maybe he could help him get home. 

“U-Um-” He actually wasn’t sure how to answer that question, so he just pointed to the other side of the lake. Viktor’s eyes widened almost as much as Yuuri’s had been a minute ago.

“Wow, all that way? You must have been skating for a long time, then.” Yuuri nodded. He hadn’t really been paying attention to the time that had passed. “Were you alone all that time, too?” He nodded again. “My god, you’re brave, doing that. The ice could have given way at any time, are you sure you’re from the other side of the lake?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Yuuri wailed, hiding his face in his hands. “I know I’m not from this side…” He wanted to die, this was so embarrassing. Maybe he was having a nightmare. Viktor frowned, taking Yuuri by the wrist. “What-”

“Sorry, I just thought maybe you might want to go somewhere warmer? It’s getting dark, I don’t think I can take you back home by myself; we might break the ice if we try and go back across the lake together… and I might get us more lost than you already are.” 

“I--” Yuuri wanted to protest, but Viktor had a point. Although his parents must be really upset, by now, too. “I-I don’t- know- Um-”

“It’s alright, my parents won’t mind. I can make sure you get home safely in the morning.” 

“But- I’m not-”

“Not what?” Viktor cocked his head, grasping Yuuri’s hand. “Come on, my lantern’s going to run out of oil, soon, and Yakov will lose his head if I’m not back before then. He was already in a tizzy when I came to find Makkachin,” he laughed, and Yuuri finally relented, letting Viktor lead him up to the castle. Makkachin trailed at their heels, barking and jumping ahead in the snow. Yuuri tripped multiple times until Viktor finally insisted on carrying Yuuri, who was half his size, though Yuuri protested loudly at the idea. Viktor ignored his protests, and piggy backed him up to the castle, where they snuck in undetected. Yuuri fell asleep by the time they reached Viktor’s bed chamber. An angry Yakov burst into the room as soon as Viktor had managed to tuck Yuuri into the bed with Makkachin, neatly hanging his things on a chair. 

“Your Highness, how dare you leave so late in the evening, and unsupervised at that-”

“Sh!” Viktor hissed, not turning to face his father’s angry advisor, busy adjusting Yuuri’s skates on the chair. 

“What do you mean, ‘Sh?’” Yakov looked near ready to burst with stress and anger, his hair starting to thin at the top of his head.

“I mean shut your blathering mouth, Yakov, you’ll wake my guest!”

Yuuri, by this time was already awake again, but he decided to continue to pretend to be asleep, already frightened and too exhausted emotionally and physically to handle angry yelling. Makkachin whined and snuggled into Yuuri protectively. 

“What in the world are you talking about, your guest? You don’t have a guest!”

“Yes I do, now silence, he was lost out on the lake, I couldn’t just leave him out there. What would you have expected me to do, let one of my subjects freeze?” Yakov fell silent then, pinching the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. 

“Your Highness, I advise you to not bring random strangers into the castle.”

“You’re not my advisor, and this isn’t a random stranger, he’s a scared little boy, and I want him seen safely home as soon as it’s light enough to do so.” Yakov bristled, working up the nerve to not bend the young prince over his knee like a child. Instead he bowed, grumbling out something about teenagers and left the room. Yuuri stayed still and silent, trembling under the blankets. Viktor was a prince??? The crown prince was going to help him get home? He didn’t know what to do. 

Viktor sat on the bed with a huff, looking over at Yuuri, who was now staring at the ceiling. Yuuri glanced back at him, then hid under the blankets, exhausted and frightened.  


“Hey, are you-”

“No-” Yuuri hiccuped. “I-I want to go home,” he blubbered, feeling safe underneath the- wait were these swan down covers?? And silk sheets? Oh he could barely stand it. But they gave him a sort of security, anyway. Viktor frowned, giving him some space. 

“I’ll make sure you get home safe in the morning, okay? It’s too dark to send a carriage, highwaymen might try to attack it,” he sighed. “Anyhow, I’ll try to send a messenger by horse to let your family know you’re safe, okay?” Viktor stood, straightening his robes. “For now, sleep, I’ll take the sofa in the antechamber-”

“No-” Yuuri gasped, sitting up in a panic. He couldn’t let the prince sleep like a guest! Viktor blinked at him in surprise. “I-I mean- um- N-no, it’s fine, Y-Your Highness---” 

“Oh, please, it’s perfectly alright, Yuuri, I sleep in the antechamber a lot when I’m up late with my tutor,” the prince smiled, leaning over to turn off the oil lamp by the bed. “Now lie down and sleep. I’ll send for that messenger.” He turned to leave the room, but Yuuri stopped him again, balling up the blankets. 

“Wait- I- Your Highness-” he began, and Viktor turned to him again. 

“Yes? What is it?” The prince was starting to look a little weary, Yuuri thought. Was he irritating to him? He certainly hoped not. He shifted beneath the blankets, pushing his glasses up his nose nervously. 

“Um… I-I just…. Sorry for causing you so much trouble…” he muttered, looking at the bed. Viktor only smiled, stepping over to him and lifting his chin gently. Yuuri blushed darkly and looked up at him, wondering if it would be rude to push him away. 

“It’s no trouble,” he smiled, patting Yuuri’s cheek. “Like I said, I couldn’t have just left you out on the ice all night, now could I?” Yuuri shook his head, averting his gaze. Viktor released him, and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Oh, and Yuuri?”

“Hm?” He looked up again, twiddling his thumbs. 

“Call me Viktor, okay?”

“But Your--”

“No, I want you to call me Viktor. I think I want to be friends with you, is that okay?” Yuuri blushed more. No one’s ever _wanted_ to be his friend, before. “Good. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” 

“Okay…” Yuuri nodded, shifting his gaze to the bed. 

“Was that all?” Yuuri flinched slightly at Viktor’s tired voice, shrinking into the blankets. 

“Y-Yes…” the little pauper murmured. Viktor nodded and turned to leave the room. 

In the morning, Viktor did as he promised, and he, accompanied by Yakov and Makkachin, escorted Yuuri home, himself. The boys Yuuri had been playing with the day before, Guang-Hong, Phichit, and Leo, along with a few other young children followed along the royal carriage as it entered town, laughing and inquiring the driver as to who was inside, though it was obvious by the coat of arms on the carriage and the knights marching beside it. When Viktor helped Yuuri out of the vehicle, sporting new shoes and dragging along his skates meekly, there were audible gasps and murmurs in the small gaggle of children that had gathered in the Katsuki’s small garden. Yakov stayed at the door of the carriage, eyeing the small children that squatted in the garden. Yuuri did his best to ignore them, offering an awkward bow to the both of them in thanks. Viktor shook his head, taking Yuuri’s hand for a handshake. Again, the crowd of children crowed their approval, doing their best to stay quiet as they witnessed the proceedings. Mari opened the door to let the REAL Vicchan out, her eyes widening at the sight of Prince Viktor leading her little brother up to the stoop of their small house. 

“Mama, Papa, Yuuri’s brought home the prince!” She called back into the house. Viktor looked up at her, grinning brightly. Mari dipped into a curtsy, blushing softly. “Your Highness, thank you for taking care of my brother.”

“Rise, please,” Viktor smiled easily, “Come on, I’m not for all that mumbo jumbo. As I’m friends with Yuuri now, I suppose you can call me Viktor, too.” The rest of the Katsukis gathered at the door, and Yuuri picked his puppy up into his arms for comfort. This was too much social interaction in the span of 32 hours, he didn’t think he could handle any more than this; he’s never even had so much as a ‘hello’ with another kid his age other than his sister until yesterday. “Ah, the parents,” Viktor articulated, bowing slightly. Toshiya bowed in response, but Hiroko went straight past Mari to scoop Viktor and Yuuri and Vicchan up in a hug. 

“Thank you, Your Highness, we were so worried about him.” Viktor blushed awkwardly, and Yuuri snuggled into his mother with embarrassment. 

“Oh, it was no trouble, really, ma’am, I’m glad I could help,” the young prince nodded, and Hiroko let them go. Vicchan barked and licked Viktor’s face from where he sat in Yuuri’s arms, and Viktor gushed over the little dog, smiling brightly. “You have a puppy, too?! Oh my gosh, he’s so cute! Let me guess, is his name Vicchan?” Yuuri blushed and nodded. “I suppose this is who you meant when you called Makkachin that, huh? I can see why, they look a lot alike!” 

“D-do you want to pet him?” Yuuri murmured, peeking up at Viktor. Vicchan panted softly. 

“Would I!” Viktor grinned and held his hand out for the poodle. Vicchan licked it and the prince laughed softly. Mari and Toshiya exchanged glances. Yakov held his head in his hands. The children and other passerby that had stopped to watch gaped in silent awe. 

“Would His Highness like to stay for lunch? Schedule permitting-” Toshiya offered. Viktor scruffed the puppy’s ears and nodded softly. Yuuri seemed intimidated by the offer and looked back at his father with a wide eyed glance. Toshiya merely smiled. 

“Certainly, I’d love to,” Viktor grinned. Yakov sighed, deciding now was a good time to step closer. 

“His Highness has a meeting with his tutor over tea in an hour. As it took twenty minutes to arrive here, I advise we return soon, _Prince. Viktor_ ,” Yakov explained through gritted teeth, bowing deeply. The Katsuki’s did their best to hide their disappointment, but Viktor shook his head. 

“Send a messenger ahead, I’ll be anon in an hour and a half, I want to stay for tea with Yuuri and his family.” He grinned at the Katsukis, then turned to one of the knights that stood guard by the smart little picket fence. “Make it so.” 

“Yes, Your Highness,” the knight bowed, and climbed onto his horse. Yakov stopped him. 

“No, dismount, Sir Altin, or I’ll see to it your pay is docked,” Yakov ordered. The knight obeyed. The seething advisor turned to the prince, bending to his ear. “Your Highness, you can’t keep delaying your tutor like this, it’s irresponsible-” he hissed. Viktor turned to whisper back, still petting the happy Vicchan to Yuuri’s delight and slight discomfort. 

“Heed me once again, Yakov, you aren’t my advisor, merely my escort, so bugger off.” He turned back to the knight, nodding to him. “Sir Altin, go on ahead. Your pay won’t be docked, I promise.” The knight sighed and climbed back onto his confused horse, the crowd parting so the knight could pass. “Now, about lunch-” 

“Your Highness!” Yakov hissed. 

“-I’ve brought my dog, too, may he come inside and dine with us? I’m sure he and Vicchan will be fast friends!” The Katsukis were broken out of their momentary daze, having been curiously watching the prince and his ‘escort’ arguing. The two parents nodded eagerly. 

“Yes, of course, anything for you, Your Highness! Mari, go set the table for lunch,” Hiroko smiled, and the group filed into the house. Viktor called for the footman to bring Makkachin, and Yakov stood angrily on the stoop. 

“Feel free to stay in the carriage, Yakov, or if you like, you can join us, for propriety’s sake,” Viktor smiled, disappearing into the house. 

“Propriety my ass,” Yakov murmured, motioning for another knight to follow him inside. The other two guards and the driver closed the carriage and stood guard, letting the children stick wildflowers into the holes in their armor as they stood at attention. Phichit, Guang Hong and Leo, all feeling very bad that they had let Yuuri go off by himself, went to sit on the stoop to wait for them all to come out again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri gets taken in by a mysterious stranger, and we finally get to meet Viktor again! What are Lilia's motives? Will Yuuri and Viktor ever meet again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hic- oops my hand slipped. Look. At all. The angst. Buhahahaha

After about a month of Viktor trying (and failing) to sneak out to ride to the village and visit Yuuri, his father and Yakov cracked down on him, making sure he wouldn’t leave the castle without an escort. All his letters from Viktor to Yuuri were intercepted before they left the castle, and were never sent. Apparently, Yakov did not approve of Viktor’s pauper friend. It was years and years before Yuuri ever heard from his prince again, as he never tried to attempt skating over the lake again, nor did he want to attempt to pass through the heavily wooded road that passed around the lake to get to the castle.

 

 By the time he was 18, Yuuri had nearly forgotten about the encounter; it almost felt like a dream. By 20, he was almost miserable, his only friends his puppy, Vicchan (who was starting to get on in years, actually, but was still very small), and the other boys, Phichit, the son of the potter, who loved to draw EVERYTHING he saw, (and who also did magnificent sculptures with his father’s clay, and was berated mercilessly because clay was rather expensive to buy and a pain to find and make useful), Guang Hong, the son of the baker, who made _excellent_ treats, and helped to sneak them up to Yuuri’s window in the topmost room of the house, and Leo, the son of the smithy, who was an aspiring bard, with a lute he’d made himself.

 

 When Yuuri was 16, his mother passed away during a bout of smallpox that had spread throughout the town. The family’s small inn took a dip in business for the next few years afterward. Toshiya was heartbroken, and upkeep of the once happy Katsuki home fell nearly to ruin. Mari and Yuuri did their best to keep earning money to pay off the inn’s utilities and repairs, but it was hard work. Phichit and Guang-Hong helped in the kitchen most days, and Leo gave his tips to Yuuri after performances in the dining room for patrons. The inn didn’t recover and was closed until further notice.

 

 When Yuuri was eighteen, his father, who had picked himself up piece by piece with the help of his son and daughter, eventually met a business partner who claimed she could help get the inn back on it’s feet. A noblewoman who, despite all odds, took pity on the Katsukis, and let them move from their now slapdash house, where Hiroko’s garden had overgrown and long died since her death, to her large manor just on the edge of the lake, where Yuuri had passed it without noticing that day so many years ago. The inn was refurbished with her help, and remodeled, and for a while everything seemed to be going right.

 

 Mari found a husband, with a little help from, you guessed it, the noblewoman who had found it in her heart to help Yuuri’s family. Yuuri brought Vicchan for walks by the lake, watching loons land on the water to catch fish while Vicchan chased frogs and mice in the long marshy grass. Phichit, Guang-Hong and Leo formed a sort of lute band and played at Yu-topia every night, while the patrons sat and sang along while eating Guang-Hong’s pastries (a recipe he had stolen from his papa, but don’t tell anyone! Because they were much better that his papa’s pastries!) Toshiya served as barkeep in the evenings just to listen in on the silly songs that the Ice Boys (that’s what Leo insisted they be called, since they had all met Yuuri when they first went ice skating together, even though Yuuri was too shy to go up on stage with them) played every night.

 

 That is, until, Toshiya didn’t return from a shopping trip in the next town over, looking for something or other to boost business at the inn even further, something about a new dish to attract customers. Mister Katsuki’s sudden disappearance sparked tension in the town, as it was surprising that poor, sweet Toshiya would go missing at all. Yuuri didn’t come out of his bedroom for weeks, while the townspeople searched for his father. Phichit and Guang-Hong threw pebbles at his window to try and make him come down, until the noblewoman’s dogs came and chased them away. Yuuri ignored everything except Mari’s letters. She came back with the news of Toshiya’s disappearance nipping at her heels, demanding to be let into Yuuri’s bedroom.

 

 “He will see no one,” the noblewoman said, and Yuuri could clearly hear them outside his bedroom door.

 

 “He’ll see me,” Mari argued, “Now let me see my brother.”

 

 “He won’t even let his little friends in, what makes you think he’ll want to see you?”

 

 “He will see me! I’m his big sister!”

 

 “You didn’t let me finish. What makes you think he’ll want to see you… after you abandoned him.” There was a tense silence. Yuuri listened anxiously, holding his sleeping dog close.

 

 “What?”

 

 “You heard me.”

 

 “That is _not_ what happened!” Mari’s voice wavered. “That is not what happened at all, I did not abandon Yuuri! I would never abandon my brother!” Yuuri swallowed thickly, a new wave of tears overtaking him.

 

 “Do not raise your voice at me.” The woman’s tone seemed dark.

 

 “I’ll raise my voice all I want, I’m upset. What are you going to do, you aren’t my mother!”

 

 “Ladies do not raise their voices.” A sharp slap rang through the marble halls, followed by another heavy silence. Yuuri’s eyes widened as he listened, frozen as the exchange went on.

 

 “My father has gone missing, and my brother hasn’t come out of his room for a month. Don’t think I’m not upset, and don’t think that I care about manners when I’m upset either, you- you bitch! Now get out of my way.” More pregnant silence, and then the muffled sound of footsteps on carpeted marble as the noblewoman walked away with the best composition she could muster. Mari knocked on the door as soon as she was gone, and Yuuri ran to the door to let her in.

 

 “Do not ever believe what she just said, I will never abandon you, okay?” Mari whispered, holding Yuuri close. Yuuri nodded, his arms already tightly wrapped around Mari’s waist. “I never abandoned you.”

 

 “I-I know,” Yuuri hiccuped, nodding. Mari ran her hands through her brother’s hair slowly, leading him back to the bed, closing the door behind them.

 

 A year passed, and Toshiya was never found. Mari eventually had to return to her husband, who was surprisingly lenient of Mari’s unladylike mannerisms, and made sure that every one of Mari’s letters was sent through without a problem. Mari came to visit every Sunday for tea, keeping her promise with Yuuri, much to Yuuri’s delight and relief. He fell under the care of the noblewoman who had given them a home in the first place, though he really wished he could go home with Mari, or Phichit, whom he was closest friends with. But it had been insisted that he stay.

 

 Lilia Baronovskaya. That was her name. According to Phichit, who was also akin to the town gossip, but you didn’t hear it from him, she had been the Prince’s tutor for a while, but quit due to unforeseen circumstances. According to rumors, she had quit because the Prince was such a freeloader and kept skipping lessons to play with his dog in the training facilities, fencing and dancing and partying instead of learning his geographies and arithmetic. She’d grown tired of his antics and refused to keep working for the crown. The reason she’d come to take care of the Katsukis was still a mystery, though there were speculations, of which were all terribly ridiculous. Yuuri didn’t care why, he just didn’t want to live there anymore.

 

 Lilia’s two daughters, who had gone off to boarding school together, (Yuuri didn’t see why that was necessary, as Lilia’s etiquette lessons that she forced him to have with her were like boarding school, anyway.) were coming home at last, and Yuuri tried to act welcoming, but it was hard when he wasn’t in the mood to act welcoming at all. He really didn’t think he had to stay here at all, and was very ready to leave and go live with Mari in the countryside rather than stay here with this crazy woman who insisted he stay and help around the large manor. Wasn’t he a guest? That’s what Lilia had said before, when they first arrived. But now Yuuri didn’t feel like a guest anymore, he felt more like just another servant in the large house. At least he didn’t have all the work to himself…. But it certainly seemed like it. Especially when Milla and Sara, Lilia’s daughters, came, and they treated him kindly, but they didn’t so much as look at him except when they gave him something to do. They didn’t even know he was a guest. And Lilia seemed to like it that way, and started to treat him the same. He missed Mari. He missed his parents. Even when Phichit would sneak up into his room with food from Guang Hong in the late evenings, he felt alone, because he could never work up the nerve to say ‘I’m not okay, I want to move away from here.’ But he couldn’t leave. He didn’t want Lilia to shut down the inn again; he was afraid if he left, the deed would be sold and he wouldn’t be able to keep his parent’s inn, open or not. So he stayed, and he continued to serve these terribly oblivious and rude people, trusting the other servants to keep quiet about how he cried at night, holding Vicchan to his chest while he did.

 Yuuri was starting to give up hope, but he continued to be as pleasant as he could manage.

 

 On a sunny saturday in March, he was sweeping dirt and dried leaves from the fall off the front stoop, when a carriage with a curiously familiar crest on the side entered the long driveway to the house. He watched with steady awe as it stopped in front of him, and none other than Lord Christophe Giacometti stepped from the carriage, along with a young page at his side. He stared, dumbstruck, before it occurred to him to bow. Christophe smiled.

 

 “Well aren’t you a pretty boy,” he mused. “Do you know if Lady Baronovskya is at home?”

 

 “Um-” Yuuri stood, not sure what he should say. “I-I’m unfortunately her stepson, should I take a message?” He said meekly. Chris blinked at him.

 

 “She’s married again? Won’t Yakov be tickled pink, hm?” He laughed. “Unfortunately is a good word to use, she was _unfortunately_ my tutor,” he sighed. “Well, I suppose I should get back to business. I have two invitations here, one for Lady Baronovskya and one for a Mr. Yuuri Katsuki?” Yuuri’s heart pounded as he took the envelopes that Chris handed him. “It’s strange, when I went to deliver it to the Katsuki’s inn downtown, I was told I could find him here. The inn was run down, do you know what happened? I hope nothing bad...”

 

 “Um- well, I’m Yuuri-” he stammered. “My father went missing a few years ago, so the inn since went under. Lady Baronovskya didn’t continue to take care of it after that…” He tapered off. Chris nodded apologetically.

 

 “Oh, I’m sorry, Yuuri,” Chris sighed, then paused, casting a curious gaze over Yuuri, who blinked in embarrassed confusion under the heavy scrutiny. “Oh, you’re Yuuri? I can see why the prince sent such a specific invitation, then.” he grinned.

 

 “What?” Yuuri was lost, The prince sent for him specifically?

 

 “Oh, yeah, he was rather smitten with you when we were younger, you don’t remember?” The pauper frowned and shook his head. “No? Well it was quite a while ago, but I remember you. The prince certainly talks highly of you. Tell you what. Don’t tell Lady Baronovskya I gave you an invitation, she hates your guts.” Yuuri’s noticed. He’s still confused, though. “Make sure you wear a disguise to the party, it’s a masquerade ball, anyhow. It’ll be our little secret, okay?” Yuuri didn’t quite understand, but he nodded anyway. He probably wasn’t going to go to the party anyway, whether Lilia was involved or not. He didn’t know the prince, so how could Lord Giacometti be telling the truth?

 

 Chris just smiled, and nodded, his work for the day completed. “Hide that invitation, too, wouldn’t want Lady Baronovskya to get her hands on it. But do give her her invitation. She might get angry if she thinks she hasn’t received one.” He turned to leave, the young page following him. Yuuri still had more questions, though.

 

 “Wait-” Christophe turned, cocking an eyebrow. “Um- Pardon, Your Lordship-”

 

 “Please, call me Chris,” the blonde smiled. Yuuri blinked, feeling a sense of deja vu creep over him. Chris noticed his pause and turned toward him fully. “Yes? Did you need something from me?” Yuuri hurried to continue, looking around as if his question were scandalous before stepping toward the other man meekly. Chris pouted. Such a beautiful man, yet so timid. Lilia certainly had done a number on him. He could definitely see why Viktor was so taken with him, though.

 

 “Um- Lord Chris- You wouldn’t happen to know _why_ Her Ladyship hates me so much?” Yuuri whispers, and Chris has to lean closer to hear him. Once he understands, however, all he can do is shrug. Yuuri gave him an incredulous look.

 

 “She did resign from her job as Royal Tutor because Viktor was skipping lessons to try and see you, maybe that’s it? Hardly a reason to quit, maybe, but when His Highness is determined to have something, he never is easy to tame. I think in her words, ‘His Highness is a nuisance, I can barely stand it!’” Chris exclaims in a shrill voice. Yuuri jumps. Is that all?

 

 “So Her Ladyship quit her job because of me?” Yuuri asks meekly.

 

 “Oh, no, not because of you,” Chris replied quickly, as Yuuri began to wilt. “Because of Viktor, maybe, in fact, mostly because she’s got a stick so far up her ass she can’t see straight- oh, pardon my French-” he giggles, and Yuuri goes red. He could certainly agree with the other man, but he’d rather not gossip with someone so close to the prince. It could be seen as treason. Distant carriage wheels and whinnies could be heard in the distance, now, and Chris cleared his throat. “Oh, I should probably get going before she sees I’m here. She might think I’m Viktor, and we don’t want that. Hide your invitation, make sure she gets hers, and remember to keep our secret, yes? Oh, Vik is going to be so excited!” He giggles. “Come, Michele,” he grins, urging the page to get into the carriage. “I’ll see you at the party, Yuuri!” He calls back, and Yuuri is left alone on the stoop, holding the invitations and the broom.

 

 “What just happened?” He asks the invitations, but of course they don’t answer. The one on the top says his name in an incredibly regal scrawl that makes his heart pitter patter. Did the prince write his name personally? The thought is quickly driven away as Lady Baronovskya’s carriage pulls around the loop that comes up to the stoop, and Yuuri hurries to shove his invitation in his coat and go back to the sweeping. He keeps his eyes down as he hears the carriage doors open and close, the click clacking of Lilia’s heels on the clean marble steps sending chills down his spine.

 

 “Whose carriage was that, boy?” Lilia snaps, and Yuuri swallows thickly. “Tell me, now. I saw the royal crest on it as it passed.” He looked up and could see his stepsister’s nervous glance. They always hated when their mother was mean to Yuuri. He really was a sweet boy.

 

 “Um- i-it was a letter- from the palace,” Yuuri replied meekly. “T-the messenger said it was an invitation to a party,” he offered, handing over the envelope, making doubly sure that it was Lilia’s name on the front and not his. His heart pounded wildly. Lilia snatched it from his hand. Yuuri did his best to stand his ground.

 

 “Who was the messenger, did you catch his name?”

 

 “No, Y-your Ladyship, only this envelope,” he lied, as the girls crowded around their mother.

 

 “A party? What for?”

 

 “Is it from the prince? Oh, he’s so handsome!”

 

 “Look, that’s his handwriting isn’t it? On the envelope!” Sara and Milla were a flurry of dresses, fighting to get to the envelope. Yuuri half wished Lilia would fall down the marble steps and break her neck in the chaos as he stepped away to safety. But she nimbly stepped aside, taking the envelope with her.

 

 “Now, girls, let me open it first,” she crowed, and Sara and Milla settled, but Yuuri could tell they were buzzing with excitement. Yuuri, secretly, was too, though he managed to contain it, his fear of his ‘adopted’ stepmother far greater. He gripped his broom tightly as Lilia scanned the paper.

 

 “This is next week!” She huffed, then thrust the paper on the girls, who squealed excitedly, crowding in to read it. Yuuri managed to glance over their shoulders. “His Highness never was one for patience,” Lilia sighed, turning toward the doors of the estate. Yuuri hurried to open one for her. She barely spared him a glance as she walked through. The girls followed excitedly. The footman processed behind with their bags. Yuuri watched with a silent sigh. A shopping spree; of course. And right on time, too.

 

 “ _Please join His Highness, Prince Viktor, for a lavish party to celebrate his return from his successful peacemaking voyage!_ ” Sara read, and Yuuri followed. He could certainly just read his invitation later, but he was curious _now_.

 

 “ _He welcomes you in hopes he’ll also find an eligible suitor to become his bride_ ?!” Milla gasps. Sara squeals. _“All eligible ladies are invited to attend! Men are permitted as escorts or to simply enjoy the atmosphere.”_ Lilia scoffs. Yuuri wilts. Of course Chris had been lying. Why would the prince be interested in him?

 

 “Oh, that means Yuuri can come!” Sara exclaims. Lilia pauses at the base of the stairs. Yuuri almost drops his broom. “He could be our escort!”

 

 Yuuri wants to shriek at her. Lilia beats him to it.

 

 “What? We don’t need an escort. Yuuri is not-”

 

 “Yuuri is a sweet man, Mother,” Milla retorts, and Yuuri shrinks into the shadows of the upstairs balcony. “He’d make a perfect escort.”

 

 “Yuuri is not coming,” Lilia insists sharply. “He is not a member of the royal court, so he cannot attend royal gatherings.”

 

 “But the invitation says that all eligible ladies can attend,” Sara pipes up. Yuuri blushes softly. “That means common folk can attend too, right? That means Yuuri is eligible to attend, too!” Milla nods in assent. Yuuri hides behind his broom. Certainly, since he was personally invited, that meant common folk can attend, but he wouldn’t dare add his two cents.

 

 “It also says ‘Lady Baronovskya and company,’” Milla adds, reading the envelope. “Yuuri is of our company, so he can go?” Yuuri glanced at Lilia. Milla and Sara gazed at their mother pointedly. “Please, Mother? Let him go.” The ‘I feel bad for him’ is left unsaid. Lilia sighs.

 

 “Fine.” The girls - and Yuuri, surprisingly, though he doesn’t show it - get excited. “IF-” she continues, turning to Yuuri. Yuuri isn’t excited anymore. “And only _if_ he can get his chores completed on time. And _if_ he can find something to wear.” He turns to the girls. “You may not help him. I must call on the tailor again.” Lady Baronovskya turns to go up the stairs again. Yuuri relaxes and lets his eyes fall to the floor. What does he have to wear to something like that? Maybe he can just decide not to go. But if Lilia now expects him- no, she doesn’t expect him to go, she expects him to fail. No doubt she’ll try and make the next week a living hell for him. Milla and Sara stop beside him to give him reassuring pats. He vaguely heard himself giving them thanks before they stepped away. Lilia shouted from the top of the stairs for Yuuri to finish his chores- she had more for him before supper. His stepsisters scurried off, and Yuuri sighed, going off to finish sweeping. Somehow, the girls tracked in more mud from the moor and he had to wait for it to dry before sweeping it out the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Viktor is lounging in the royal library when Chris returns, a smug look on his face as he sits beside his friend. The prince looks up in avid anticipation. When Chris only smiles at him, he begins to get impatient.

 

 “Well?” Viktor asks incredulously. Chris giggles.

 

 “I met your Yuuri,” he nods, bowing his head. Viktor nearly knocked his chair over as he stood. “Calm down, man, the old bitch is keeping him captive. Poor thing, he’s like a mouse.” Viktor stares at him and his expression, which was now a mix of worry and amusement. “Sit down, Vik, he can be rescued, yet.”

 

 “What of him? He’s at Lilia’s estate? What happened to his family’s inn? What does he look like? Is he handsome? I bet he’s handsome.”

 

 “Woah, Viktor, let me breathe a minute-”

 

 “Did you give him the invitation? What says my love?” Chris can’t help but laugh at Viktor’s expression. He looks like a wounded animal and something that could strangle him at the same time. He had to tease him.

 

 “Your love says like an honest gentleman-” Chris says, and to his amusement, Viktor draws in closer. Chris doesn’t continue.

 

 “What, what, what did he say?” Viktor urges, and Chris shrugs. “What do you mean you don’t know, you were there!”

 

 “He doesn’t remember you,” Chris explains finally. The silver man visibly wilts.

 

 “What? What do you mean, he doesn’t remember me?”

 

 “I mean exactly that,” the blonde explains as Viktor stands. “He lives with Lilia now, what do you expect? I mentioned you, and he looked like I had mentioned that he was related to the American president. He knew who you were, but he doesn’t remember your encounter, at the very least.” Viktor shook his head and fell to the chaise that sat beneath the window. “Come on, Viktor, don’t be like that.

 

 “That bitch…” Viktor mutters, and drapes his arm over his face. “Keeping my Yuuri from me for all these years…” Chris sighs and stands to hover over him. “I only wanted to be his friend… He’s such a sweet boy…”

 

 “He’s still a very sweet boy, Viktor, he’s just been broken by Lady Baronovskya,” Chris offers. “I feel bad for him. At least her daughters are good company. I’ve heard they’re very nice. Maybe living with the bitch hasn’t been too hard on poor Yuuri.” Viktor huffs as if to say ‘as if.’

 

 “You obviously don’t remember her lessons,” Viktor murmurs.

 

 “I’ve tried very hard to suppress those memories, Your Highness,” Chris chuckles. Viktor glares at him. “Should I fix you a bath?”

 

 “I could use some wine.”

 

 “Or a nice massage-”

 

 “Or some vodka.” I have to note here, Viktor doesn’t actually get drunk, he liked to watch Chris get drunk. It was an interesting experience, and very amusing. He did find that a few sips of vodka made him feel a little more relaxed, though.

 

 “Your Highness, it’s barely past noon,” Chris protests with a little smile.

 

 “And has that ever stopped you from drinking before?” Viktor sits up from his swoon. Chris shrugs. He was more than happy to spend time making sure Viktor didn’t actually get drunk.

 

 “I’m usually still hungover by now from partying all night, if I recall anything from our mission of peace. But I had a certain special mission this morning, orchestrated by a certain special someone.” Chris reaches out to fix Viktor’s skewed lapel. Viktor nodded.

 

 “Then let’s go celebrate a successful secret mission,” he exclaims, turning to exit the library. He pauses at the door. “You did deliver his invitation, yes?”

 

 “I did.”

 

 “Then to the pub!” Chris follows his friend down the stairs. “Now tell me about my Yuuri…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Viktor takes very good care of Chris once Chris gets drunk. They usually only go out and do this once a week, but planning a ball is hard so they have to relax at some point, right? Right? 
> 
> I'm sorry, Viktor and Chris, bear with me, your arc gets better.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor learns more about the young pauper he met so many years ago, Chris learns that Yuuri isn't exactly living in the lap of luxury, and Yuuri receives a letter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Yakov is losing more hair than he should be, and Lilia needs to take some anger management courses. 
> 
> Enjoy!

 There wasn’t much to tell. Viktor went home planning his wedding, anyhow, though Yakov seemed to think he would be marrying a woman. (He probably would have a few mistresses in order to bear children, but he was definitely going to marry Yuuri.) Yuuri Is the one, he just knew it. He was forced to look at pictures of wedding gowns throughout the rest of the week, though, and though he could easily picture himself in the gowns, he couldn’t picture what he would want a woman to wear. He wasn’t interested. He would have to have a nice suit tailored for Yuuri once they were engaged. The Ji Bakery would be commissioned for a cake for the wedding, as they were already chosen to cater the ball, alongside the kitchen staff, who would provide dinner. Viktor had always found the royal chef’s pastries were dry and brittle. He’d been to The Ji Bakery countless times, as their desserts were decadent enough to be considered royal food. He would have to remember to hire Guang Hong to be his personal patissier once he became king. 

 The great hall and greater ballroom was already being decorated for the ball, as was the gardens, and a boat, as Viktor wanted to take his bride - ahem,  _ husband _ \- to be for a romantic boat ride before the evening ended. Yakov advised him against it, but Chris thought it was classy. Another thing that would change. Yakov’s position of Royal Vizier would go to Chris, but that’s still a far way off. Next was a wine tasting. (For the ball, not the wedding, thank  _ God _ ). Maybe he could get away with nicking a few bottles so he and Chris could get drunk later to celebrate that Yuuri was going to come to the ball. (And Yuuri’s still unofficial engagement to Viktor. Definitely not to drown his worries and doubts about having this ball. No siree). 

 Unfortunately, Yakov caught him trying to steal a bottle of stronger champagne, and he didn’t get the chance to steal away to a pub with Chris, either. Not that it would have mattered. He never did get stupid drunk on their outings, anyway. He didn’t think getting stupid drunk was fun unless someone else was stupid drunk. Chris, on the other hand, didn’t mind in the slightest. Unless His Highness didn’t feel up for helping His Lordship through his hangover in the morning, in which case it just wasn’t fun anymore. 

 “Your Highness, this is hardly appropriate behaviour,” Yakov huffed, handing the bottle of champagne to a passing steward. “We’re preparing for a ball, not a free for all.”

 “If His Royal Lordship pleases-” Chris begins, but Yakov cuts him off. 

 “You can kindly shut your trap, Lord Giacometti,” he snaps. He was not in the mood for their antics. “Shouldn’t you be tutoring your ward, Michele?”

 “He’s hardly a child, anymore, Your Royal Lordship,” Chris sighs. “His Highness requested my assistance with preparations for the ball.” 

 “His Highness does not need your help-”

 “His Highness is standing right here,” Viktor huffs, his arms crossed like an irritated child. “He is here for my sanity, Yakov, I pardon you if yours is waning.” Chris masks a smirk with a soft cough. Yakov glares. 

 “I don’t care if he’s here for your birthday party, he is not supposed to be here.”

 “And I’m not supposed to be tipsy at teatime. Which, I am, because of your silly wine tasting.”

 “Which you requested, at your leisure, Your Highness,” the Royal Vizier muttered through gritted teeth. 

 “Yes, and how many days is it to the birthday party?” Viktor asked, faking oblivion. 

 “The  _ ball _ is in two days,” said Yakov, fully aware that Viktor was not that drunk. 

 “I knew that,” said Viktor, stumbling to lean on a marble column across the way. Chris could barely contain his tipsy laughter. “Now, since the ball is in two days, how come I haven’t been fitted for a new ball gown?” Yakov’s eye twitched, as did the vein in his forehead. “Well?”

 “Your fitting is later this evening, before supper, for a new  _ suit,  _ not a ball gown, Your Royal Highness.” 

 “That’s what I said,  _ suit _ , not ball gown. Chris, you’ll be wearing a ball gown, right?” 

 “If it pleases His Highness, I’ll wear my bathing suit,” Chris cackles, finally breaking down. Yakov snapped, then. Though his voice remained cool, his words were very sharp. 

 “Prince Viktor, I do implore you to stop this nonsense, I know very well that you did not have enough wine to get drunk, and Lord Giacometti, do stand up, you’ll scuff the marble with your coat buttons. It was only just polished this morning.” He could see why Lilia had retired, now. Viktor was terribly hard to keep control of. And Chris was no better. 

 “I’m sorry, Lord Yakov,” Viktor tittered, swaggering over to pat his shoulder. “I’ll try and behave. But you do know that women are not in my tastes, I hope.” Yakov’s lip twitched this time. Chris got up off the floor. 

 “I am very well aware, but His Highness can not hope to father an heir with a man.”

 “If my future husband allows it, we’ll keep a mistress. Though I’d hate to be unfaithful to my dear husband, you must understand, Yakov, you were married once.”

 “I’m still married, you- Your Royal Highness,” Yakov hissed.

 “Yes, but pardon me when I say she’s a right witch,” Viktor sighs. “May her innocence rest in pieces,” Viktor sighed, and Chris sniggered. 

 “You have no right to talk that way! You’re the reason she left the palace in the first place!” 

 “Love is a curious thing, Yakov,” Viktor sighs. “And who knows, with luck, Yura will one day father an heir. Wouldn’t that be nice?” Yakov stops in his tracks. A second Yuri running around the palace. No, a second Viktor would be far more bearable. He manages to catch up with the prince and Chris before they reached the corner at the end of the hall they had been standing in. 

 “Your Highness, you’ll be late for tea!” 

 “Don’t care!” Viktor calls, and pushes Chris through the service corridor that would bring them to the library. Viktor needed and escape. Chris could help him escape for a while. Plus he could get actually tipsy, as he kept a stash of weak vodka in a dictionary underneath the bust of himself that was commissioned a few years ago. Chris understood, and followed without complaint up the narrow staircase, fleeing the frustrated royal vizier and his frustrated cries of ‘Your Highness’ and ‘come back!’ Viktor giggled with relief when they got away. Chris sighed. He could see that Viktor was grasping at straws, here, though he wouldn’t admit it. He knew how to help, though, and he did. It was going to be a long day.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 Yuuri’s life had been miserable this past week, thank you very much. 

 Between the dishes, and the extra laundry, and the ridiculous amount of dusting, and the strange and unneeded amount of gardening, the chores that Lilia was coming up with were bound to destroy Yuuri’s back before they completely destroyed his will. Whether he was going to the ball or not, he was determined to get all the chores done, just to say that he had. And mostly to escape Lilia’s anger. When she got angry, it was all over. 

 At least Sara and Milla were merciful when they could be. They had other servants wash their clothes, and sometimes sent him extra food through the household chef after dinner. Chef Minako offered to contact a tailor for him, but Yuuri declined. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. Not that he didn’t want to disappoint the prince, but surely Lilia would recognize him even if he went alone. He was certain that he wouldn’t be able to find an appropriate outfit, let alone a  _ disguise _ in time for the ball. Not even Phichit’s pet mouse could save him now. 

 The ball was in less than two days, and Yuuri still couldn’t find a moment of peace. 

 The evening before the ball, Yuuri came up to his room from dinner with Minako to find a note on his door from Lilia. More chores. Amazing. Right now all he needed was sleep. As soon as he entered his room and collapsed onto his slapdash bed, however, there was a rattle of pebbles at his window. He groaned and didn’t lift his head. Another (heavier) barrage of pebbles came next, and he lifted his head, fearing a brick might land on his head if he let the pebbles go on any longer. He heard a faint ‘oh there he is- Oh OH dON’t throw anymore it’s open!’ as he stuck his head out the window, Vicchan watching curiously from his floor pillow. 

 Phichit waved at him from the ground. Guang Hong and Leo stood with him, bearing pastries and ale. 

 “I’m tired, you three, not right now,” he called. 

 “Ah, but Juliet, the night sky is just waiting to be torn asunder, the daggers in your soul- WAIT YUURI DON’T CLOSE THE WINDOW!”

 “What do you want, Phichit, I want to go to bed.” Phichit gestured to the snacks that Guang Hong and Leo had provided. “If you don’t answer, you’ll be getting these pebbles still on my window sill back, and I’ll make them hurt.”

 “Ouch, cranky Yuuri,” Phichit sighed. “Just throw down the rope from the pulley, if you won’t come down, quick, I think I hear the dogs coming!” 

 “You should be quieter,” he called back. He could hear a ‘yeah, yeah,’ from Phichit, and soft laughter from the other two boys. “I’m not kidding, Peach,” he sighed, turning to Vicchan. “He’s gonna get himself hanged for trespassing one of these days, Vicchan, I’m almost positive.” 

 “Rapunzel, let down your hair~” A new voice called. Yuuri frowned. Was that- He turned back to the window quickly. “Ah, he lives!” laughs the voice. 

 “Phichit, who is that?” Yuuri calls. He could barely make out Phichit’s shrug. 

 “Just Chris, oh fair maiden,” the mysterious figure replies, stepping into the light of Phichit’s lantern. “Just on a secret mission to see if you’re still alive in there. The old bag asleep yet?” Yuuri gulps. Secret mission. That doesn’t mean what he thinks it means, does it? “Should I send a rescue fleet? Yuuri?”

 “Yuuri?” Phichit calls up in wonder, recognizing Chris immediately. “How do you know him?”

 “Shut up all of you!” Yuuri cries. “I’ll be down in a minute, now be quiet before someone hears you!” He pulls his window shut. “Vicchan, we’re going for a walk before bed, come on,” he urges, grabbing the dog’s lead. Vicchan jumps up from his pillow and trots to the door happily. Yuuri really wanted to go to sleep so he could get an early start on chores. Her Ladyship was strict like that. 

 When he reached the group, they were waiting in a dark corner of the garden for him, Lord Giacometti among them as if they had known each other for years. Vicchan sniffed the stranger curiously, and the attention of the group immediately turned to the dog. Yuuri took a pastry from Guang Hong’s basket without ceremony and sat on the grass while the other four gushed over his puppy. 

 “You know, he mentioned you had a dog, Yuuri,” Chris mentioned casually. “His grew bigger, though, yours is like a miniature of his, now,” he smiled, petting Vicchan’s belly. Vicchan blossomed happily under the attention. Yuuri blushed. The Prince had a dog? Of course he did. 

 “Oh, who’s this ‘he’ we’re talking about?” Phichit asked coyly, giving Yuuri a pointed glance. He knew Yuuri fancied men, it was no secret between the two of them. Yuuri blushed darker. 

 “Why, the-”

 “Mari’s husband!” Yuuri blurted. “Lord Christophe is a friend of Mari’s husband,” he said quickly. All four of them looked at him, Leo and Guang Hong in awe and Phichit and Chris with a look that said ‘seriously man.’ “Why are you all looking at me?” 

 “Yuuri I didn’t know your family was friends with Lord Giacometti,” Leo spoke up. 

 “Yeah, that’s so cool, Yuuri!” Guang Hong said excitedly. Vicchan looks around at them curiously. Chris strokes his back to settle him. The last thing they needed was a rowdy dog.

 “We aren’t,” Chris interrupts, raising an eyebrow at Yuuri. Yuuri blushes and shakes his head. “We- our- families do. My- father... wanted to see how Mr. Katsuki’s family was doing, beside’s Mari…. So he sent me anon to deliver this letter.” Chris pulls an unmarked letter from his coat and hands it to Yuuri. Yuuri slowly turns it over in his hands. No royal seal, no fancy lettering, just plain white parchment and a button wax seal. The parchment smells vaguely of pine trees. Then he stuffs it into his shirt before he can be caught with it when he goes back inside. “He’s very worried about you, Yuuri, as he hasn’t heard anything of you in a while.” 

 “But isn’t your father close to the King?” Phichit questioned, ever the clever one. “With all due respect sir- ah, Your Lordship, I think you’re lying to us.” Yuuri stuffs his face with another pastry. Chris turns to the other man. “I know for a fact that Lady Baronovskya has never let any royal associatives near this household.” Guang Hong and Leo exchange a glance. 

 “Ah, so that explains it,” Chris nods, before an awkward silence can accrue from the accusation. “You’ve seen right through me.” He turns to Yuuri again. “Is it safe to tell them, Yuuri?” Yuuri clenches his jaw, still chewing the pastry he was eating. 

 “Tell us what?” Phichit pressed. The three younger men leaned in. Yuuri sighed. They were bound to find out eventually. Chris looked to Yuuri, who nodded reluctantly. Vicchan climbed into Yuuri’s lap to lick excess crumbs off his face. Chris nodded and turned to the other three, easing into a story. 

 “Once upon a time, a young prince found a young pauper lost on a frozen lake.” Yuuri’s hand stilled. Why was this story so familiar? Chris saw him look up out of the corner of his eye and continued. “The prince took pity on him and let him take up lodging in his rooms until morning so he could escort him home. The pauper accepted the offer and was taken home at first light. The prince, against the wishes of his father, pursued friendship with the pauper, but even after several months of trial and error, the pauper never replied to his letters. Meanwhile, a scary old witch took in the pauper, keeping him sheltered and hidden from the prince, making him close his inn, and forcing him to clean the front steps of the house. That is, until the night the prince decided to throw a royal ball.” Chris paused for effect, but Phichit had already put two and two together. 

 “I remember now. Yuuri, don’t you remember when the Prince escorted you home after you got lost on the lake? He had tea with you that day! In your house!” Yuuri nearly choked on his pastry, the one he still hadn’t swallowed so he didn’t have to talk. He’d always looked back on that day and remembered a generous noble boy, not the Prince! But now that he recalled it, only the Prince has that incredibly gorgeous silver hair…. Wait what?

 “Wow, you’re smart,” Chris marveled, sizing Phichit up, who beamed under the praise. “You must have a great memory.”

 “Wait, the Prince is calling on Yuuri? Is that the person who wrote the letter?” Chris nodded. 

 “I was lucky you three were here, or I probably would have failed my secret mission,” He smiled, winking at Yuuri, who spluttered as he caught his breath. “I don’t think I would have thought of going to his window….” 

 “Th-that was the Prince, though?” Yuuri spluttered, coughing into his hand. “I thought it had been another boy,” he murmured. 

 “Yes, he’d been smitten for months, Yuuri. You never got his letters?” Yuuri shook his head. 

 “I never got any letters. I never get any mail, period.” 

 “But this was when we were still children, you didn’t get any letters at your old house?” 

 “No, nothing.” Chris frowned. Yuuri held Vicchan tighter. Was he in trouble?

 “They must have been intercepted, then…” Chris murmured. “Yakov… Dammit, Yakov! He’d never approved of Vik’s infatuation…” 

 “Vik?” Phichit spoke up.

 “Infatuation?” Yuuri exclaimed incredulously. The two younger boys shushed him. Yuuri looked at them, and Leo pointed at Yuuri’s window. 

 “Why, yes, I-”

 “Sh!” Yuuri said, and Chris obeyed curiously. The group fell silent. Vicchan looked up at Yuuri’s window. 

 “ _ Yuuri _ !” A shrill voice shrieked. Yuuri’s face went white.

 “Hide!” He hissed, and Chris and Phichit put out their lanterns, fleeing to hide behind the larger hedges in the garden, farthest from the window. Yuuri stood to make it look as though he had been taking Vicchan for a walk. Lilia threw open Yuuri’s bedroom window. 

 “Yuuri Katsuki! Where are you?” She was righteously pissed. Yuuri gulped thickly.

 “Here, ma’am,” he called weakly, feeling smaller than usual. 

 “Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me!” She yelled. Yuuri visibly flinched. “What are you doing down there?” 

 “Taking Vicchan for a walk, Your Ladyship, he was getting restless.” 

 “I don’t care if your dog  _ dies _ in this room, I’ve been calling for you for twenty minutes!” Lilia snaps. “Did you not read the chore list I left for you?” 

 “Yes, Your Ladyship.” Yuuri made sure he was visibly affirming this statement, because he was getting very quiet. 

 “Then get up here, before I condemn you to house arrest! I’ll lock you in your room if I have to, just do as you’re told!” 

 “Yes, Your Ladyship.” He nods aggressively again, but he doesn’t move.

 “Move, boy, or I’ll starve you, too!” Yuuri nodded and hurried to the kitchen door where he had exited the house from. “I expect you to be upstairs in five minutes! Five!” She slams the windows shut and Yuuri turns back to the hedge where Chris and his friends were hiding. He could see Chris’s eyes through the bush as he closes the kitchen door behind him. Chris had looked incredibly concerned. His eyes had been so haunted.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 “Well, how is he?” 

 Viktor and Chris were sitting in the library, hiding from Yakov after an incredibly boring final fitting for a the new suit for the ball, where Chris had attempted to distract Yakov by letting Makkachin into the room, had unfortunately failed, and ended up being asked to wait outside the Prince’s chambers. 

 “He’s still alive,” Chris offered, sipping the ale that Viktor had poured him. “I hope he’ll be alright.” Viktor looked up from the book he had accidentally started reading.

  “What do you mean? He isn’t hurt, is he? What did Lilia do?” Chris sighed, leaning his chin in his hand. “Chris, tell me, or I’m taking your drink away.” 

  “Viktor, I don’t want you getting your hopes up if he doesn’t end up coming tomorrow night. Lilia threatened to lock him in his room for not doing his chores.” 

 “What? She’s making him clean?” Viktor gasped, and Chris looks at him. 

 “Did I not tell you this before? When I met him last week, he was sweeping the front stoop of Lilia’s estate.” 

 “And you said she threatened to lock him in his room?” 

 “And starve him. She also said she doesn’t care if the dog dies, in favor of keeping Yuuri at her beck and call. And Vicchan is still so small, too. He must be a toy poodle.” Chris knocks back his drink. “I bet she kicks the poor thing on a daily basis.”

 “Oh, not the dog. Not Vicchan! I hope she doesn’t. I’ll kick her right back! First thing I’m going to do when I’m king, animal cruelty will be illegal!” He downs his own drink, and Chris has to force away the flask before Viktor can pour himself another. It’s rare that Viktor got drunk, as he didn’t like to, but it was important that Viktor didn’t have a hangover the night before the ball. 

 “It already is. If you’d taken the time to learn your politics, then you’d know this. You know you’re going to have to finish your studies before you’re coronated, right?” Viktor groans and lays his head on the table. 

 “I know, Yakov’s been chewing my ear off about that. Blah blah, you should have paid attention to your studies, blah blah, no one wants an illiterate prince, Viktor. Princes shouldn’t be friends with the common folk, Viktor. Princes should be smart, you’ve got to pay attention, Viktor, behave, Viktor, God… Yakov needs to relax...” He sighs heavily and buries his face in his arms. “I just want to take a nap. Can I go take a nap?” He peers up at Chris over his arm, who’s putting away the alcohol. Neither of them needed a hangover, either. There was too much noise the morning of a ball. 

 “It’s a little late for a nap, Viktor. We’ll have to go down to dinner, soon.”

 “I’ll skip dinner, then, have my meal sent to my chambers.” He stands, picking his book up from the table. “Say something like ‘His Highness would like to rest before the ball, as he’s tired from all the preparation for it, so he is retired to his chambers.’” He licks his lips and turns to leave. “‘His Highness apologizes,’ and all that.”

 “Viktor, you have to stop blowing off meals. I’m sure your father would like to speak with you before the ball.” The prince stops at the door. 

 “Is that you mimicking Yakov, or are you being serious?” 

 “Both? Viktor, I worry about you, too.” Chris stands and hides the liquor again before going to Viktor. “Please come to dinner?” Viktor takes pause, as if he’s thinking about the proposal, then shakes his head. 

 “I have a headache.” He sighs, his hands falling to his sides. “Blame it on the alcohol, I don’t know.” 

 “Viktor.”

 “I’m sorry, Chris, I just need some peace for a while. I need to think.” He turns to leave again. “Tell Yakov that he needs to do something about that tree up his ass, for me.” With that, he disappeared down the hall, leaving Chris alone in the library. Chris didn’t relay the message, but he did send some food up for him. Viktor ate with Makkachin at his feet, and wrote another letter to Yuuri to give him tomorrow night. On the other side of the lake, Yuuri read the one Viktor had written that morning. 

  
  
  


\--

  
  
  


_ Dearest Yuuri, _

 

_    I hope this letter finds you well, and that the messenger isn’t caught by your guardian. Or is she your prison warden? I’m so sorry you’ve been taken prisoner by my old tutor. I hope I can do something to rectify that. Maybe I can help you get your inn running, again? Or give Lilia her own prison to rot in for treating such a sweet person so badly. I’ve been told that you most likely do not remember that night out on the lake, when I’d found you out in the cold all by yourself. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Makkachin hadn’t gotten loose and I didn’t get to you in time. There have been so many rumors about people getting lost and freezing on that lake, I couldn’t take the chance of you getting hurt. I’m an old softy, and I care about my subjects more than Yakov thinks I should. At least Yakov let you stay for the night. He can be a real ass sometimes. Don’t you think a king should care for his subjects? I only wish I could have been a better friend to you, I feel like all of this happened to you because I wasn’t able to stay in contact with you. I’m sure I could have done something, perhaps apologizing for pissing her off. Although I doubt you should let her find out you got this letter, she might punish you to get back at me. I wish she wasn’t so resentful. _

_    On an unrelated note, I hope you can come to the ball tomorrow, I really want to see you again. After you didn’t return my letters, after years of nothing, the smallpox epidemic hit, and the palace was quarantined and I couldn’t send a letter to see if you were okay. After the epidemic passed, a census was tallied of the areas in the kingdom that succumbed, you know, for taxes. When your house count came back with three heads instead of four, I was certain that you were dead. I was horrified. I was horrified that so many people had died and my family did nothing about it. Sure, I’d read about wars and death, but the idea that someone that I knew, a person that I felt a connection with, had more than likely died, it hit me hard. I was inconsolable for months. It would have been years if Chris hadn’t managed to get me out of the palace for a while. And then I saw you, I passed you in an unmarked carriage, as you were skipping rocks with some friends. I think I cried for hours. I was so happy. Chris wouldn’t let me out of the carriage, though. Ah, we snuck out, and Yakov had sent guards after us. If they had seen us, I probably would have gotten locked in my rooms for a week. I heard about your mother, too, I’m so sorry, Yuuri. But I do have news on some very important things, things that I shouldn’t put in writing, just in case Lilia happens to find this letter. She did a very bad thing, Yuuri. Something I’m sure you’ll be very angry about, you and your sister both. I will say that you will be very happy, too. In fact, I’ve sent an invitation for the ball to your sister and her husband, too. (Congratulations, by the way, on the brother in law. I hear he’s a very loving man. It’s too bad I wasn’t invited, I actually know their family quite well. Lilia must have had something to do with that, too. I was, however, notified of the union. I couldn’t be happier for your sister. I hope she still visits you, they live rather far from your village, don’t they?) _

_    Yuuri, you have to promise me you’ll guard this letter well, if you do receive it. I wish the best for you, in your efforts to come to the ball. Please, please come. I’ve been waiting so long to be able to get in contact with you, again. I don’t understand why they don’t want me to be friends with you. I hope that when I’m king, I’ll be able to make sure all of my subjects are happy, and that everyone is healthy and comfortable. Maybe you can help me with that. If only… _

 

_       Godspeed, sweet Yuuri,  _

__

_          With love, _

_               Viktor _

 

_     P.S.  _

_       If I can, let me be the first to say, you have beautiful eyes. I still can never forget your incredible eyes, they were so deep and thoughtful… and yes, very frightened when I first met you, like… like a lost fawn. But so beautiful… I can hardly wait to see you in person again. Make sure your costume doesn’t hide those eyes of yours, they’re very pretty.  _

  
  


_   P.P.S. _

_      Please don’t take that the wrong way. My messenger said that me complimenting your eyes sounded creepy when I asked him to read the letter for any errors. I really do think they’re beautiful…. I sound like a lovesick teenager… Anyway, I hope I get to see you tomorrow night. _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Chapter 3! Chapter 4 coming soon!
> 
> Don't worry, Lilia isn't going to kill the dog. She doesn't kick him, either. She tried, once, and Yuuri responded by locking /himself/ in his room for a week. She doesn't anymore, because she knows she might not get him to come out of his room at all, ever, and to tell the truth, she is a little frightened of what Mari might do if she tries to hurt the dog or Yuuri. No, she won't touch the dog. She gets too much satisfaction seeing Yuuri miserable as he cleans spilled tea off her bedroom floor every morning. It gives her a sense of power and a strange security that Yuuri will be loyal to her. 
> 
> He will be. 
> 
> Just as long as she doesn't hurt his dog. 
> 
>  
> 
> On a lighter note, what is this news that Viktor has for Yuuri? Why can't he write it in the letter? What has Lilia done this time? To be continued! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri needs an outfit for the ball, Viktor is caught red handed, and Yakov is going to lose all of his hair by the time Viktor is king.

He woke up late. The only reason he was able to figure this out was the endlessly ringing bells above his door, and an incredibly angry Lilia at the bottom of the staircase that lead up to his room. He couldn’t help but think that she had kept him up late cleaning last night on purpose so that he would be behind on his chores today. Perhaps to punish him for ‘ignoring’ her the night before. He kept Vicchan locked in his room just in case. He still didn’t trust Lilia with his dog. And with Lilia busy with getting ready for the ball today, he didn’t have to worry about her going anywhere near his room, anyway. Keeping Vicchan in his room was for the dog’s own good. He didn’t want him getting in Lilia’s way…  


The first thing on the list of today’s chores was do the laundry. All of the laundry. Even the other servant’s laundry. Not that he minded doing the laundry, he just didn’t feel comfortable washing bloomers and petticoats and slips and ladies underwear in general. It felt like he was invading their privacy. Lilia acted oblivious to his discomfort until Minako spoke up and forced Lilia to let Yuuri give the women’s laundry to someone else to wash, by threatening to rip up the new dresses that the girls had gotten and use them for kindling in the oven. Minako admitted to Yuuri after Lilia had left that she only would have burned Lilia’s dresses. Sara and Milla deserved to go have fun.  


Next on the agenda was clean the entire kitchen. Minako was banished to the vegetable garden for this task while Yuuri scrubbed and scrubbed all by himself. He got it done just in time for Minako to start making lunch. Minako purposefully burned Lilia’s meal and gave Yuuri a second helping to try and boost his spirits. Lilia’s ice cream was melted, too, but Yuuri took it instead, insisting that Minako give her a regular serving, as she was only going to make it worse on him if Minako kept trying to help him. He didn’t want his only inside ally to lose her job because of him. She relented, and served the ice witch a regular cup of ice cream, but did sprinkle it with a little salt. Lilia noticed, but she didn’t show her anger.  


In the course of the next few hours, Yuuri mopped the floors twice, swept the area rugs with a hand broom, beat the bed sheets and washed them twice, groomed the guard dogs (who tried to bite him twice because he smelled like Vicchan), delivered the girls’ clean laundry to them, cleaned and polished their dancing shoes, stitched up a tear in Lilia’s dress, (one that could not have possibly have been an accident), and washed all the dirty dishes, resulting in another kitchen cleaning montage. By the time he was finished, there was an hour and a half left before the ball. He had a half hour to get ready before his adopted stepfamily left for the palace (by Lilia’s discretion).  


“Well?” Her Ladyship asked, looking down her nose at him. Yuuri stood clean and damp from his last chore. “What do you have to say for yourself?”  


“I think I have something in- in my wardrobe if you’ll let me check. I haven’t had the time to find something to wear. I’ve finished all my chores, however,” he said meekly. He didn’t really want to go. He just didn’t want to disappoint the Prince. Lilia scoffed.  


“Fine. If you can find something before the carriage arrives in a half an hour, you may attend the ball with us. That is if I don’t think of any other chores for you, first,” she said, raising an eyebrow maliciously. Yuuri hurried up the stairs, just barely catching the conversation that followed his exit.  


“Mother, please,” Milla sighed. “He’s cleaned everything already. I doubt he’ll be able to dance the way you’ve worked him.”  


“Good, he’s probably a terrible dancer, anyway,” Lilia huffed. Yuuri swallowed thickly. Why must she be so mean? He never did anything to her. And she knew damn well he could dance, she had taught him, herself.  


When he reached his bedroom, his heart jumped when he saw an unmarked envelope sitting in the basket on his windowsill. The window had been left open for Vicchan, so the pooch would have fresh air. Currently, the dog was napping on the bed. He peeked outside the window, and hurriedly went to shut his bedroom door to keep the letter safe from eavesdroppers. Above the plain rubber seal on the back of the envelope were the words “Please read before the ball- urgent!”  


Yuuri slowly opened the envelope, his heart skipping a beat as Viktor’s handwriting jumped up off the page in his hands. A silvery handkerchief fell out of the pages and he just barely caught it before it hit the ground. He smelled it curiously. It smelled like wintery pine trees. He closed his eyes, the dim memory of a frozen lake coming to him out of the blue. Snow, cold, a dog, a friendly face. Yes. Yes, he remembered. It was fuzzy, but he could remember the soft silver of the boy’s hair and his kind smile as he lead him through the snow to the palace. He licked his lips guiltily and turned to the letter.

_Yuuri-_

_If you’re reading this, Yuuri, please know that I am very worried about you. My messenger told me about what happened last night when he delivered his letter. He wasn’t caught, thank the gods, but you were, and I’m terribly sorry if you were punished for that. If you can, please wear the cloth handkerchief enclosed in the letter in your ensemble that you’re wearing, so I can find you even with a mask. I know it sounds like an odd request. I’ve been reading too many baroque dramas and romances lately. Sorry if I’m coming off as creepy… I want to be able to find you without Lilia noticing. She’ll probably lose her head if she sees me approach you…_  


_If you really have been condemned to your room as Lilia had threatened, please accept this handkerchief as a favor, and a promise that your suffering will end soon, and that I’ll find a way to rectify my mistakes. If you are still attending the ball, please accept the handkerchief as a promise, anyway, and wear it as a token of our friendship and your imminent freedom. I feel responsible for your situation, so I feel as though I am responsible for fixing it. If you truly wish for me to leave you alone, and you feel you can rescue yourself, I’ll respect your decision, but I’ll still end up punishing Lilia in some way. You don’t deserve to be treated as a slave. I know how angry Lilia can get, she’s like a demon when she doesn’t have her way._  


_In lighter news, your sister and her husband arrived at the palace this morning. Enclosed is also a letter from her. I hope to see you at the ball._  


_With love,_  


_Viktor_

_P.S. Yakov can not know that you and Mari are related. He doesn’t remember that Mari is your sister. I want it to stay that way so that you and your sister can see each other. I hope that’s alright._

_Dearest Brother,_  


_I am going to kill that woman. His Highness and Lord Giacometti told me what happened yesterday, and I am horrified. She really threatened to kill Vicchan? Please tell me she didn’t. I’ll kill her, I really will. Maybe His Highness will spare me in the name of love and family. We’re all we’ve got, you know? Lord Chris said he’d go check on you tomorrow if you don’t show up at the ball, but I still worry. Maybe he’ll be able to bring you and Vicchan to the palace and we can go home to my husband’s estate in the country. Vicchan would like it there, there’s so much space and it’s so peaceful… And you wouldn’t have to clean anything. His Highness says he wants to fix up the inn, did he tell you? He also said you’d forgotten about when he helped you home when you got lost on the lake. God, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day. We really need to visit with each other more. Please be safe, Yuuri._

_Love,_  


_Your sister, Mari._

_P.S._  


_I think His Highness fancies you. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why he couldn’t act on this sooner, but you should take advantage of that. (With his permission, of course. Don’t be rude.) I know you might not be able to be with him openly, but I can see something starting between you two. He’s really sweet. I approve and give you both my blessing as your older sister. I’m sure Mama and Papa would approve, too. Love you, little brother._

Yuuri didn’t know what to do. Viktor was sweet, sending along Mari’s letter, too. But he seriously doubted that Mari was right that Viktor had taken a liking to him. They had met once, and that had been a decade ago. Certainly, the Prince had a princess that he was engaged to, or something. He swallowed thickly and stuffed the letters into his pillow so he could find something decent to wear to a ball. Why was he doing this? For fear of being punished by the Prince for not showing up at the ball that he was clearly invited to? To escape Lilia? Maybe. He had to hurry, either way. But underneath his pillow was a plain package labeled ‘for Y.’ and a note from Minako, which only distracted him further. Yuuri’s heart stopped. Another gift?

_Lord Giacometti gave this to me for you when I was out in the garden this morning. I brought it up with Vicchan’s lunch. He didn’t tell me what it was, but I’m assuming it’s important._

With shaking hands, Yuuri opened up the brown, unassuming package, to reveal an old suit. It was a little faded and a little dirty, but it was soft and comfortable looking, and the fabric shimmered in the candle light. His mouth fell agape. Had Viktor given him a hand me down suit to wear to the ball? It certainly looked that way. He almost couldn’t put it on. But he did, and quickly, and stood in front of his tarnished mirror to admire it further.  


It was a dark midnight blue, with a jeweled waist that wrapped around the back. The buttons were set with chipped diamonds that looked fake but were almost certainly real. The sleeves and the slacks were a little too long, but he would manage. It wasn’t as if he were going to dance, anyway. He found some scuffed dress shoes that had been his father’s in the back of his wardrobe and put them on, slicking his hair back as he went back down to the foyer. Lilia and the girls were just turning to leave.  


“Wait! I’m ready!” He shouted, his heart pounding, his handkerchief stuffed into the coat’s inside pocket where it wouldn’t be seen for now. Lilia paused in the doorway and immediately went pale. 

“I’m ready to go.” He stopped short of the doorway and lifted his arms to show off his outfit. Sara and Milla stared in shock, as well, all three of them immediately recognizing the outfit. Yuuri didn’t notice their horror, too busy admiring the little jewels that glittered in the soft glow of the dim lighting in the foyer.  


“Where did you get that?” Lilia whispered, wide eyed and slowly returning to anger. Milla pulled Sara away from Lillia discreetly. “Did you two do this?” The woman turned to the girls, who both shook their heads. Yuuri froze, the giddy feeling in his chest slowly fading into dread as he stood there.  


“No, no, we didn’t, I swear,” Milla spoke up. Sara was busy staring at the suit. Lilia growled and turned back to Yuuri.  


“You tell me where you get that suit, boy, now.” she hissed. When Yuuri didn’t answer, her lips pressed together in a white line beneath pale nude lipstick. “Now, Yuuri!”  


“Wh-when I went shopping the day before-” Yuuri sputtered, lying. He didn’t want to get Viktor in trouble. “I saw it in a window display, for a discounted price-”  


“Liar! Do you even know what you’re wearing?” Yuuri shrunk beneath Lilia’s gaze. “Do you? You pig, take it off, now!”  


“Mother! Let him wear it, you said if he found something to wear-”  


“No, if he found something suitable to wear! This isn’t suitable, it’s a disgrace! Blasphemy! It’s rude and disrespectful!” Yuuri grew wide eyed. What was happening? “I said take it off, you wretched boy!”  


“What’s going on?” Yuuri asked weakly. Why would the Prince give him something so bad? It couldn’t really be that bad, could it?  


“You’re wearing the outfit the Prince wore to his mother’s funeral,” Lilia growled through gritted teeth. Yuuri’s heart immediately dropped.  


“What…?”  


“Yes, you are, now take it off!” Yuuri didn’t move, stunned by what he was hearing. “Now! You can’t go to the ball like that, you’ll offend someone!” Yuuri still didn’t move, trying not to break down in tears. It was all a cruel joke. Of course the Prince hadn’t noticed him, of course. He didn’t notice that Lilia was upon him until it was too late.  


“I said, take off that wretched suit, you stupid boy!” she shrieked, wrestling the coat off of him and tossing it at the burning fireplace at the far end of the room, sending Yuuri sprawling to the floor. Yuuri gasped and scrambled after the coat, but he was too late, and it landed in the middle of the flames.  


“No!” Whether it was a disgraceful coat or not, it was beautiful, and it was probably really expensive. He could have still worn it anyway. If Viktor had given it to him, surely it wasn’t that disgraceful. Lilia kicked him back to the floor with the sharp toe of her boot.  


“Just as I thought, you’re a greedy pig. You don’t deserve to go to the ball,” she sneered, standing aside as Yuuri curled up on the clean marble floor, clearly in pain. “That should teach you. Girls, to the carriage. We mustn’t be late for the ball.” Sara and Milla clung to each other in stunned silence. They hadn’t expected Lilia to kick Yuuri at all. Nor did they think that she would send the coat flying into the fireplace. They both jumped when Lilia ordered them outside, and went reluctantly, leaving Yuuri on the floor. “Leave the pig to his ashes, he deserves it,” Yuuri heard Lilia say as the door closed. As soon as the latch catches, he lets himself break down into sobs. It wasn’t meant to be, then. It was all just a cruel joke. He sat next to the fire until the embers died, and pulled the charred remains of the once regal coat from the ash with the hearth tongs. It was ruined. The gems were stained black and the silver filigree that held them to the fabric was tarnished, never to shine again. He wiped his cheeks with soot stained hands as he carries the coat back to his room. Whether the Prince had been making fun of him or not, he had let him down. He was going to die in this house. And no amount of silver handkerchiefs and empty promises could save him. 

 

**That Morning.**

Viktor poured tea for the woman in front of him. She looked as beautiful as she had when they had first met, as he had told her when he greeted her in the great hall. Yakov greeted her, too, and although Mari knew exactly who he was, the royal vizier had forgotten that this was Yuuri’s sister. Viktor used this to his advantage.  
He wished he could say he had planned this, but it was only dumb luck on his part. He hoped Yakov wouldn’t find out until after the ball.  


“Welcome, Miss Mari- may I call you Mari? You look simply ravishing.”  


“Yes, thank you, Your Highness, you may,” Mari nodded, curtsying . “It’s an honor, a privilege to be-”  


“No, please, the pleasure’s all mine,” he assured, bowing deeply and kissing her hand. “Call me Viktor. We’re friends, aren’t we? Is your husband treating you well?”  


“As well as he can, Prince Viktor,” she beamed. “How did you know?”  


“Well, I am close to your husband’s family somewhat, and they did apologize for misplacing my invitation.” He gestured inside, leading her through the palace. Eugen Karpisek, her husband, wasn’t far behind, speaking with Yakov about little things. The man had one role in Viktor’s plot: Distract Yakov as much as he could without Yakov realizing it was a ruse. Mari followed Viktor with her arm in his.  


The prince leaned down to whisper to her; “If you’ll let me tell you a secret, I know Lilia helped plan your wedding, so I suspect she didn’t invite me on purpose.”  


“Why would you suspect something like that? I know she’s a terrible old woman, but certainly if you’re close friends with my husband, it would only be proper to invite you to our wedding.”  


“Did your brother attend?”  


“Yes, although I had to force that woman to let him come. She keeps him under a magnifying glass, and I hate it. I wish he would come live in the country with me.”  


“That would be why, then. She’s keeping him hostage, as far as I can tell. Yakov won’t let me go into town, either. He mustn’t recall that you’re a Katsuki, remember that. Why is it so wrong for me to be friends with my subjects, I wonder?”  


“I know, it’s uncalled for. You’re the prince, you should be able to be friends with whomever you want, permitted that they want to be friends with you.” Viktor considered this, looking about the hall where they were walking. He looked back at Yakov, who was looking at him as he talked to Eugen.  


“Do you want to be friends with me, Mari?”  


“What kind of question is that? Of course I want to be friends with you. You helped my brother home, after all, it was very kind of you.” Viktor paused, and looked back at Mari.  


“You remember?”  


“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Mari blinked in confusion.  


“Chris said that Y- that your brother didn’t remember.”  


“Well it must have been traumatic for him, getting lost all by himself on a frozen lake. He must have naturally tried to repress those memories. He’s very sensitive, Prince Viktor, you must have gathered that.” Viktor nodded, letting Mari stop them. Meanwhile, Yakov and Mari’s husband had caught up with them. “Be gentle with him, Your Highness, please,” she whispered.  


“I will. Thank you for the advice.” He clears his throat as Yakov grows closer. “Would you like to continue this conversation over tea later? I imagine you’d like to rest before the ball tonight, you traveled for a long time, I’m sure,” Viktor smiles easily.  


“Yes, if it pleases His Highness, I’d like my wife back for now, please,” Eugen smiles, gesturing for Mari’s hand.  


“Apologies, I couldn’t resist speaking with her, as she’s now the wife of one of my dear friends. I hope you don’t mind joining me for tea, too?” He handed Mari off to him gently. “Yakov, feel free to take some leisure time, away from stress, I know overseeing party planning is terribly stressful.” He turns to his father’s adviser. “You’ve earned some time off. Go take a nap or a walk or drink some ale.”  


“As much as I’d like that, Your Highness, I have to decline. As your adviser-” Viktor cut him off. Mari whispered with her husband a few feet away.  


“You want me to acknowledge you as my adviser for now, then fine, I say that as my adviser, you should take a few hours off. I’ll have Young Sir Altin and Chris on standby instead. Please? I’ve been listening to you prattling on about your stress and your heart and your headaches for years. Please take some time for yourself, too. I’m asking nicely, so don’t make me force you.” Yakov sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. He seemed to have been doing that a lot this week. Viktor and Chris have noticed and started taking a tally of them. Viktor makes a mental note to update the tally once he has a free moment.  


“Fine… I suppose you can’t cause too much trouble during tea with Young Lord Karpisek and his wife. I’ll let you have a few hours of peace. Although I do recommend having more than one knight at your call if you’re having tea out in the gardens. I hear there’s a ruffian that’s looking to cause havoc tonight, lurking in the forest near the far garden wall.”  


“Don’t worry, we’ll eat in the atrium, it’s almost like sitting in a garden, but it’s cozier in there, too.” Viktor smiles, his plan flowing rather perfectly. He glances over at Mari. “Are you two comfortable with sitting in the atrium? It’s closed, but it’s very pretty. The lighting, I find, is very soothing, and it’s very peaceful. I like to relax in there sometimes… Usually when Yakov’s been particularly loud.” Yakov scoffs and decides that that’s an appropriate time to take his leave.  


“Pardon me, His Highness is a hypocrite,” Yakov pardons, to the reply of a few snickers from Mari. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to finish up some last preparations for tonight. If you’ll excuse me. Ah, should I call someone to show you to your chambers before I go?”  


“Don’t bother Yakov, I am a more than capable host,” Viktor assures, and takes Mari’s hand again. Yakov bows as best he can and promptly leaves. “Shall we? Let’s talk about your trip, it wasn’t too hellish, was it?”

 

“Oh dear, she did what?”  


“She insulted me. My father had just disappeared and she dares tell me to behave!”  
It was teatime. Chris had joined Viktor, Mari and Eugen, and they were all sharing Lilia stories quite freely. It’s amazing how much you can bond over horrible people.  


“So what did you do?”  


“I slapped her,” Mari mutters matter of factly, sipping her tea. Eugen nods as if he was expecting the answer. Chris and Viktor both stare at her with awe. “The witch thought she could keep me from my brother and thinks she can make me not express my emotions, what else could I have done? I’d do it again, too, she deserves it.”  


“I’ll drink to that,” Chris breathes, raising his teacup.  


“Hear Hear,” Viktor agrees, clinking glasses with him. “I’ll have to try that, sometime. Although she might kill me. Or hurt Yuuri, and I don’t think any of us wants either of those options.”  


“Wouldn’t the scenario where you slapping her be when you have Yuuri out of her reach? When she’s on trial for abuse and treason?” Chris asks, nudging his elbow. Viktor blinks.  


“You’re right. I wouldn’t hit her, though, I’m scared to death of that woman.”  


“Hear Hear,” Chris parrots and sips his tea. Mari sighs and accepts a teacake from the plate her husband passes her.  


“How’s your dog, by the way?” He asks Viktor.  


"Makkachin? He’s fine. I forgot, you haven’t seen him in a while, have you? We haven’t really seen each other since before the wedding.”  


“Oh, right,” Mari gasps. “Makkachin! Oh, I still think it’s funny how Vicchan and Makkachin look exactly alike.”  


“Ah, Makkachin and mini Makkachin,” Chris giggles. “Vicchan is still so small,” he sighs. “I worry for that poor dog…”  


“What, what do you mean ‘so small’?” Mari demands. Chris blinks at her.  


“What, you don’t know this, Miss Mari? Vicchan is so tiny! He looks like a puppy, Makkachin is twice his size now. They’re called toy poodles in France. I think that’s what Vicchan is, am I wrong?”  


“I- don’t know, I just assumed he was a regular poodle,” Mari sputters. “How big is Makkachin, then?”  


“At least the size of a small foal, I think,” Viktor shrugged. Mari and Eugen looked at him as if he were talking nonsense. “Makkachin! C’mere, boy!” He called, and the group fell silent, watching the door to the atrium with trepidation, as if awaiting some horrible giant monster. A few minutes later, the poodle comes bounding into the room, a few stressed looking scullery maids appearing behind him. Just as Viktor had said, the dog was much larger than Vicchan, now. Viktor jumps up from his seat to stop him before Makkachin attacks the tea table. “Hi, baby, yes, good boy! Oh, good boy, Makkachin!” Makkachin barks and jumps up to lick Viktor’s face. Viktor catches him nimbly and holds the dog tight. Mari barely holds back a scream while her Eugen makes to catch the prince, as if Viktor were to fall onto the table. Chris just laughs. “Aw, I know, I haven’t seen you all day, poor baby…”  


“You- Your Highness, he nearly knocked me over!” one of the scullery maids whimpers.  


“That dog nearly upset a pyramid of cups that I spent hours putting together!”  


“He almost tore down the decorations in the hall!” Viktor turned to the women, then looked at Makkachin, who happily breathed right in his face. “Your Highness!”  


“Yes, yes, I hear you,” Viktor sighs, cradling his dog. “Should I come and help clean up any messes that he made? Or is everything still alright? Yakov would kill me if Makkachin wrecked anything.”  


“I’ll go assess the damage,” Chris offers, standing. “I’ll leave you with Lady Mari and Lord Eugen. Ladies, if you would please show the way,” he bows to the other three and follows the distressed maids out of the room. Viktor kisses the side of Makkachin’s head gently and sits down with the dog in his lap.  


“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare anyone,” he smiles gently, stroking Makkachin’s fur.  


“Aren’t you going to set him down, Prince Viktor?” Mari sputters. “He’s rather large, after all…” Eugen nods, still in shock.  


“Aw, no, he likes being held. He may be large, but he’s my big softie lap dog,” he giggles, stroking Makkachin’s neck. “Aren’t you?’ The dog boofed softly. “I haven’t seen him all day, anyway, so he’s fine. So, back to business,” he says, dropping his voice to a whisper. Mari and Eugen lean closer. “Yakov can’t know that you and him are related. I’m planning on writing another letter to him, so that he knows as much, too. Your brother, not Yakov. I sent him a letter last night, and I’m incredibly hoping that he got it. It’s a leap of faith, but I’m trying again, this time by bird. Chris has already gone this morning with another package, a coat for him to wear to the ball tonight. I wanted to wait for you to send on my letter, in case you wanted to add anything. Would you like that?” Mari blinked, bewildered.  


“That’s so kind of you, Prince Viktor,” Mari gasped. “I mean, I’m sure Yuuri has something to wear-”  


“No, I highly doubt it; Lilia might have stolen his nice clothes to prevent him from coming. Surely her daughters will have convinced her to let him come, but she will stop at nothing to make me and Yuuri indefinitely miserable. I just wish I knew why…”  


“Be… cause you drove her out of the palace?” Eugen added unhelpfully. Viktor blinked at him.  


“No, she wouldn’t be acting that brash just because of that. It has to be something more. She left of her own will, and I’ve seen her with the other pupils she has, she’s stern, but not as stern as she is with me… It’s puzzled me for years. I’m not that terrible. She was only slightly stern with you, Eugen…”  


“Yes, but either way, her classes are back breaking. I wonder if she was a tiger tamer in a circus in her past life?” Mari scoffs and sips her tea.  


“No, she was definitely cast from hell. She’s a madwoman,” she whispers.  


“Hear hear,” the men agree, and toast their teacups.  


“Anyway,” Mari draws them back to the matter at hand. “I would love to send along a letter for Yuuri, if it’s no trouble.”  


“No trouble, it’ll be in the same envelope, and I’ve trained my bird well. Her name is Mirin, and she’s a black cuckoo dove. Do you want to see? She lives in the atrium.” Viktor smiles brightly, letting Makkachin rest his head on Viktor’s shoulder.  


“Is she? A black dove, I mean. I’ve never seen one of those, before,” Mari said.  


“Yes. Mirin,” Viktor calls, turning his head to the trees behind him. An elegant black bird soars down from the canopy moments later and lands on Viktor’s outstretched hand in a flourish. “There she is. She’s a good bird. Aren’t you, Mirin?” Mirin lets out a soft ‘coo’ and turns her head to check out the two people across from her with beady black eyes and blushing orange rings around her eyes. 

“She’s a smart bird, too. I considered a crow, but I might be accused of witchcraft if I had a crow. Crows are smart, too. Mirin, show me your feathers, pretty girl,” he smiled, and Mirin stretched her wings out, puffing out her chest. “Yes, you’re a pretty birdie, aren’t you?” Mirin bobs her head. “Good girl.” Makkachin chooses this moment to lift his head, gently outstretching his head to smell the bird. Mirin shifts and hops onto the dog’s head gracefully. Mari lets her jaw drop.  


“Very well trained,” Eugen breathes, as Viktor strokes Mirin’s belly. Mari nods in agreement.  


“Yes, Makkachin and Mirin are best buddies,” Viktor beams proudly, coaxing Mirin back onto his finger. “Would you like to hold her?”  


“No, no thank you,” Mari shook her head. “I don’t want to scare her. I might spook her.”  


“She’s very calm around new people. Mirin’s only really shy when we’re really loud. Are you sure you don’t want to hold her?” Mari nods.  


“When are you going to send the letter?” She asks, sipping her tea. Viktor nods and offers the bird to Eugen, who politely refused as well. He sighs and let’s Mirin fly back to her roost.  


“As soon as you’ve finished yours, I suppose. I want it to be sent before the ball.”  


“Of course,” Mari nods. “Ah, I’ll start it soon, then. If you’ll excuse me.” She stands, curtsying quickly. “Oh, I hope Yuuri is okay.”  


“Definitely, you may, go right ahead. Come find me when you’re ready to send it, okay?” Viktor smiles warmly, standing too. Makkachin doesn’t protest as he’s lifted again. “I should go see how Chris is handling my dog’s mess. Eugen, take good care of that woman, okay?”  


“Absolutely,” Eugen nods, and Mari leads him out. Viktor sets Makkachin down, who seems to smile happily at him. Viktor looks at his pooch thoughtfully.  


“Don’t look at me like that, not after you’ve terrorized the decorating crew.” Makkachin just gazes up at him. Viktor sighed. “C’mon, let’s go see if everything’s been fixed.” Viktor smiled to himself as they left the atrium, Makkachin trotting along beside him. He was excited. He was so excited to see Yuuri again. 

 

The ball was going to be starting soon. Yuuri had no way to get to the palace. Not that he had anything to wear, he thought, as he stared helplessly at the now tattered coat that sat on his bed. He had tried his best to wash it, but that had only worsened the holes, and all the buttons had fallen off. Vicchan sniffed the coat curiously and looked up at Yuuri, cocking his head. Yuuri’s lip trembled again as he pulled Vicchan into his arms.  


“It’s hopeless, Vicchan,” he whispered, letting his dog try and comfort him. “I’m just going to stay home. It was never meant to be, after all.” He swept the coat onto the floor and climbed into his bed, holding Vicchan close. Vicchan didn’t mind it. He just wanted Yuuri to be happy.  
Someone knocked at the door a few minutes later, which only made Yuuri burrow deeper into the sheets, not bothering to answer it. They entered anyway, and he felt the bed dip when they sat down.  


“Hey,” they whispered. It was Minako. “Why aren’t you going to the ball?”  


“I don’t want to talk about it,” Yuuri whispered back. Vicchan sighed, getting comfortable to provide Yuuri with love and support. Minako sighed, too, and reached up to stroke his hair. At first, Yuuri flinched, but the gentle touch made him relax a little.  


“You know, I snooped in that package before I brought it up to your room,” she offered. “It wasn’t blue, it was black, and it would have looked incredible on you.” Yuuri stiffened.  


“What are you talking about?” He peeked up at Minako curiously.  


“The coat Lord Christophe gave me, it was black and red and silver, not blue and bejeweled,” Minako explained. “I don’t know what happened to the first coat, and I don’t know where the blue coat came from, but I think this was a setup.” Yuuri sat up slowly, still clutching to his puppy. “Yuuri?”  


“He warned me about this. Lord Christophe, did…” he muttered softly. “Her Ladyship. She did this.” He didn’t know whether to cry or get angry, so he did both. “God, why does she hate me so much?”  


“Yuuri, oh, shh, it’s okay, I don’t think she hates you…” Minako crooned, wiping his tears away. Yuuri glanced at her woefully. “Okay, so she hates you, but you didn’t do anything wrong, I imagine she’s just a bitter old woman, is all.”  


“The Prince,” he hiccups.  


“What?”  


“He wants me to come to the ball…” he sputters out. “He sent me an invitation specifically… But… But… I don’t have anything to wear, and now he’s going to be angry with me, too-”  


“Oh, Yuuri, don’t be like that, I’m sure he’ll understand, let’s send a letter along, yeah? Maybe you can go to the ball in disguise as a woman to the ball, I can help you fix your hair, and-”  


“No, I can’t, I can’t show my face there, she’ll recognize me, and then Lord Yakov will arrest me, and then I- I-” He broke down even more, letting Vicchan lick his cheeks. Minako hurried to pull him into a hug.  


“Hey, breathe, sweetie, everything’s going to be okay. Let’s send a letter, tomorrow, yeah? I’m sure the Prince will understand…” Yuuri burrowed into Minako’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. 

“Shh, Yuuri, it’s okay… I think I have something nice to wear in my closet, I still have my late husband’s old suit… Do you want to try it on?”  


“I… I don’t…. Want to… go,” Yuuri managed to say. “I can’t- I can’t go…. I- I-” He hiccuped, and Minako shushed him again, more urgent this time. “M-minako-”  


“No, what was that?” She breathed. Yuuri fell silent, except for his hiccups, and listened, too. There was a tapping at his window. Reluctantly, he got up to go to the window, looking down to the ground, expecting to see his friends or Chris, or the Prince, even, standing below his window. Instead, a large butterfly flew into his face, startling him. Minako stood from the bed, frowning deeply.  


“What-” Yuuri blinked, looking up at the butterfly, who fluttered around the room, looking lost, until it stopped at the doorway. He blinked, and suddenly there was another woman in his room, the butterfly was gone, and he didn’t know what to do. “What the hell?”  


“Woah, haven’t been this size in a while,” the woman sighed, getting her bearings and fixing her outfit. She was quite pretty, actually, with long brown hair and soft, sparkling eyes. She had gossamer butterfly wings the size of the door she was standing in front of, and her dress was far from mortal; a sparkly gown that poofed out like a ballgown but stopped at her knees like a tutu. She smiled gently at Yuuri, as if smiling at an old friend. “Hello, Yuuri, long time, no see~”  


“Uh… Do I know you?” Yuuri asked, hiccuping again. Minako stood stock still on the other side of the room. Vicchan cocked his head at the woman, who looked mildly confused, as well.  


“Do you not remember me, Yuuri? It’s me, Yuuko. I’m your fairy godmother~” Yuuri nearly fell over.  


“My- fairy what?”  


“But wasn’t- I mean, I thought you were Yuuri’s little imaginary friend,” Minako blurted, frowning. Yuuko frowned, too, but laughed all the same.  


“Ah, yes, you certainly did. But I was very much real, but I was only a sprite, then, you see. I’ve just been promoted to his fairy godmother, and I’m here to help you get to the ball!” She grinned, pulling a long wand from the pocket on her dress. “Isn’t that exciting?”  


“I- I don’t want to go to the ball?” Yuuri didn’t know if that was a question or not.  


“Oh, pish posh, of course you do. I know you do, because you really don’t want to disappoint the Prince!”  


“I’ll disappoint him whether I go, or not. He wants to be friends with me, but I’m a terrible friend, I really am…” Yuuri hiccups, stroking Vicchan’s back. Yuuko blinked thoughtfully at him.  


“Vicchan doesn’t seem to think so. You’ve been such good friends with him for such a long time…”  


“That’s not the same….”  


“It is, too!” Yuuko fluttered toward him. “You’ve been so good to him. If you were a bad friend, would Phichit and Guang Hong and Leo still come to get you out of the house?”  


“They’re pity friends,” Yuuri frowned. But at least they stick around, something inside of him said. At least they still worry about you.  


“No, Yuuri, please believe me, you do have people who want be friends with you, not because you're a bad friend or a good friend, or because you choose to have friends, but because they care about you genuinely, and because you’re a good person and very friendly… when you put your mind to it. You caught the eye of the Prince, The Prince, Yuuri. The esteemed Prince Viktor Nikiforov wants to be friends with you, simply because you’re so unique and beautiful. Why aren’t you happy?”  


“Because it was never meant to be!” Yuuri shouted, holding his dog closer. Vicchan whined softly. “It.. was never…. I never had a chance. There is no chance of me ever getting close to the Prince, because all of his colleagues-”  


“Except Lord Christophe!” Minako chimed in. “And the Karpisek family!”  


“I guess… but everyone else that’s close to the Prince hates my guts, just because of who I am…”  


“Yuuri, being a commoner doesn’t define you. You’re so much more than that,” Yuuko whispers, raising her wand as she steps closer to Yuuri, and lifting his chin gently. “And if it weren’t meant to be, would I be here right now?”  


“I… um…” Yuuri muttered, not sure what to say, so he just let that stew a moment. “I guess, I don’t know....” Yuuko smiled warmly.  


“Then I guess we have a ball to get to~” she purred, patting Yuuri’s head. “Chip chop, Minako, I need to make a piggy into a prince~ Go check that witch’s room for the coat.”  


“No good, I saw her send it along with a messenger earlier before she left,” Minako shrugged. Yuuko’s wings almost drooped.  


“Well, that’s no good at all, I was planning this all around that coat! No matter, I’ll have to make do~ Where’s the other one?”  


“What?” Yuuri frowned. “I can’t wear that, it’s ruined!” Yuuko bent over to pick up the charred coat with an experimental shake to feel the weight of the material.  


“Ah, but with a bit of magic, it’ll be good as new… and better! Minako, go get me a pumpkin!”  


“It’s barely the beginning of spring, we don’t have pumpkins right now.”  


“Summer squash?”  


“Nope.”  


“Butternut?”  


“Lady, I’ve just planted everything, there are no crops,” Minako sighed. “What do you need a pumpkin for, anyway?” Yuuko frowned, lowering her wand.  


“Nevermind, I can make do with a pallet box,” she smiled, turning back to Yuuri who was currently overwhelmed. “Stand still, Yuuri, and put this on.” She shook out the coat again, the dust and ash disappearing and leaving the tattered mess of a coat hanging mid air with nothing to hold it up. Yuuri stared at the clean but ruined coat.  


“But… It’s ruined, I can’t…”  


“Yuuri, I can’t make something out of nothing, now put the coat on. You’ll understand in a minute.” Yuuri obeyed slowly, not exactly sure what was going on. “Minako, go find some frogs down by the lake.”  


“What? No, I’m not going to go crawl around in the mud for you!”  


“Then find me some wooden dolls from the sister’s rooms, I know they have them.” She sighs heavily. “At least inanimate objects are easier to transfigure...” Yuuri and Minako blinked at her, both of them entirely lost. “Nevermind. Chop chop! We don’t have all night!”  


“But-”  


“No buts, young man. This was meant to be!” Yuuko grinned brightly, lifting her wand as Minako reluctantly left the room. “Now stand up straight, be very still, and close your eyes.”  


“But I-”  


“What did I just say?” Yuuko’s eyebrows shot up in a challenge of wits. Yuuri fell silent. “Close your eyes. Lift your arms, too, I need to measure them.” Yuuri did, already uncomfortable.  


“When can I open them?”  


“When I say,” Yuuko muttered. Yuuri could hear her circling him, and he suddenly felt very exposed. “Don’t fidget, Yuuri, I don’t want to accidentally turn your arm into a ribbon. It’s happened before and we don’t have the time to deal with it. This is very much like a regular fitting, and I don’t want to prick you with a pin, so to say.”  


“I- what?” He didn’t really like the sound of that.  


“No, shush, keep your eyes closed, I’m nearly finished.” Yuuri swallowed thickly and remained standing still. “Tell me, Yuuri, what is your opinion on glitter?” That was an odd question, Yuuri thought, tempted to open his eyes. “Come on, you can answer.”  


“I don’t really… um… what’s glitter?” It sounded ridiculous.  


“Good, perfect, glitter it is. You’re going to look like you’re wearing the stars, sweetie,” Yuuko grinned. He could hear it in her voice. And what did glitter have to do with the stars? His arms slowly grew heavy, and he didn’t see why he had to hold them up for so long. Yuuko finally pushed them back to his sides and he let them relax, while the fairy fixed his coat.  


“The coat feels different,” he frowns, lifting his hands to feel the fabric. Yuuko slapped his hands away. “Ow-”  


“Don’t move till I’m done, please,” she sighed. “I have to do the buttons, still. Gold or silver?” Yuuri furrowed his brow.  


“I don’t-”  


“You’re right, silver looks better with blue. Minako, what do you think?” Yuuko asks, as Yuuri hears the door open and shut.  


“My God,” Minako breathes, nearly dropping the dolls she came in with. “It’s beautiful.”  


“It’s not done quite yet-” Yuuko fusses, pulling Yuuri’s waistcoat shut. Yuuri licked his lips. Had he been wearing a waistcoat before?  


“Can I see?”  


“Not yet. Don’t make me blindfold you,” Yuuko smiles. Minako arranges the dolls on the bed.  


“If you’re a fairy, couldn’t you just wave your magic wand and finish it in seconds?”  


“Not exactly. Clothing takes planning, and I’m not sure which looks better, opals or diamonds for the buttons?”  


“Diamonds.” Yuuri mutters. Yuuko looks at him. “They were on the last coat, so…. And if I’m going to this ball, we need to make this fast, right? You’re taking forever.” Yuuko’s smile grows.  


“That’s the spirit! Okay, let’s fix your hair, then…. And you need a mask! Open your eyes, but you can’t look at the coat yet. Minako, do his hair while I put the finishing touches on the coat.” Yuuri blinked as his eyes adjust to the light again. “Silver tassels? Yes, and coattails! It’s all the rage in London! Wow, I think this just might be my best work yet!” Minako nodded slowly and found a comb on Yuuri’s dresser to brush his hair back, while Yuuri blushed profusely and waited patiently for Yuuko to finish.  


“Is all this really necessary- Ow, Minako-” Yuuri reached up to shield the back of his head, Minako having tugged at his hair a little too hard to get a tangle out.  


“Sorry, your hair is really tangled- When was the last time you brushed it?”  


“Last week,” Yuuri confessed, and Yuuko gently pulled his arms to his sides, rearranging buttons and draping tassels elegantly across his chest. “I haven’t had time between all of the chores dumped on me, and taking care of Vicchan… and… sleeping… I’m exhausted, Minako, let’s go to the next ball, I really want to go to bed.”  


“Not now that you have such a beautiful costume!” Yuuko pouted, fixing Yuuri’s lapel. “Besides, you deserve to have a little fun, don’t you? Forget about Lillia for one night, and enjoy your time with the prince. Ah! I almost forgot the mask!” Yuuko whipped a mask out of thin air like a fan, and held it up to Yuuri’s costume. “Perfect! Here, put it on.” Yuuri took the mask with a reluctant sigh, and held the mask up to his face, to Yuuko’s delight.  


“Don’t put it on yet, I’m not done with your hair,” Minako grumbled, being more gentle now.  


“What if he doesn’t like me?” Yuuri mutters, turning the mask over in his hands. It was a dazzling silver thing with blue sapphires and diamond rhinestones lining the eyes. It was beautiful. The sapphires sparkling in the candlelight reminded him of those kind, concerned eyes that felt just like a dream to him, now. He couldn’t help but imagine meeting the prince, now, sweeping into the ballroom on freshly polished marble floors in his new suit, stunning everyone into silence as he bowed before him. It sounded like a fairytale. Maybe he was dreaming right now. He wasn’t really-  


“Oh Rapunzel,” shouted a voice, drawing him out of his thoughts. Minako and Yuuko had turned toward the window, as had Vicchan. Who was at his window? He’d never heard that voice before. Yuuri took off the coat, just to be safe, - so sparkly… And so beautiful. He stopped to admire it as he laid it on the bed next to Vicchan, who sat obediently- and hurried to the open window. Looking out, he couldn’t recognize anything but the dim outline of the royal crest emblazoned on the man’s chest.  


“Who are you?” He demanded, suddenly anxious again.  


“I’ve come to collect you for the ball, since you did not arrive with Her Ladyship,” the man said, and Yuuri immediately felt exposed. Had Viktor mentioned someone coming to collect him? He didn’t think so. “Come, His Lordship Giacommetti sent me.” Yuuri retreated from the window.  


“Yuuri, what is it?”  


“Yuuri?”  


“Go tell someone to lock the doors,” Yuuri whispered to Minako. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t like that I can’t see his face.”  


“Well it’s dark out, he doesn’t have a lantern?”  


“That’s just it, I don’t know, I can’t see anything.”  


“Alright, if you think something’s up, I’ll go get the doors locked, okay? Sit tight.” Minako left the room hurriedly, and Yuuri turned to the window.  


“I’ve got this-” Yuuko said, rolling up her sleeves. Yuuri held her back.  


“You might make it worse.”  


“Are you coming down, Yuuri?” The man called. “Won’t the prince be so disappointed?” Yuuri leaned out the window again.  


“What’s your name?” Yuuri asked. He could feel Yuuko behind him, her hand on his arm, giving him strength.  


“Don’t you know me? It’s-”  


“Hey! You!” There was a second voice, and the sound of armor and fast footsteps. Yuuri and the mysterious man jumped at the same time, looking towards the source. Around half a dozen men rounded the corner of the building, fit with lanterns and swords. Christophe lead them, and he was very put off. “Seize him!” Yuuri watched in awe as the soldiers closed in around the man below his window, a hooded man wearing a dagger at his belt and a poorly stitched crest on his chest, so far as Yuuri could tell, now that there was light. “By order of the prince, you’re to be arrested for attempted kidnapping!” The man didn’t move, standing perfectly still, now that he had been caught.  


“And what will you do if I don’t comply?” The man asked, challenging them  


“Most likely we’ll have to beat you down,” Chris replied dangerously.  


“Do your worst.” the man said.  


“Men-” Chris ordered, and the soldiers stepped forward, tightening their circle around the ruffian, who was quickly dispatched. “Search him for more weapons,” Chris says, looking up at Yuuri’s window, where Yuuri and Yuuko stood with their heads out the window. “Are you alright, Yuuri?”  


“Uh- yeah, just, confused, I guess,” Yuuri replied, finding himself holding tightly to Yuuko’s hand. Had he been that close to being kidnapped? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to the ball at all, now. But maybe if he were amongst a crowd of people….  


“Alright, I’m here to escort you to the ball, okay? Viktor sent me ahead.” Scary, Yuuri thought.  


“That’s what Mr. Imposter said, that he was going to escort Yuuri to the ball,” Yuuko called. Chris frowned.  


“And who might you be, miss?”  


“Yuuri’s f-” Yuuri elbowed Yuuko in the arm sharply, He never did get good reactions as a kid to his sprite friend that no one could see but him. Apparently now she could be seen by anyone with eyes. “I’m an old friend,” Yuuko finished, rubbing her arm. “Just so you know, I would have protected Yuuri with everything I have.”  


“I have no doubt of it, Milady,” Chris smiles. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Yuuri, I hope you’ve found everything fits.” Yuuri couldn’t see from this far up, but he swore that Chris winked. He felt like he was getting a headache; how was he supposed to tell Chris that the coats were swapped?  


“Aha, as well as they could…” He retreats back into the room and fixes his shirt. Yuuko follows to help him with his coat. “What just happened…..?” Yuuri mutters, turning to put his coat back on, his face in his hands as he grabs the collar. Yuuko helps him put it back on.  


“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough…. But it will be okay, Yuuri, I promise. I’m sure the prince won’t let anything happen to you once we get to the palace. Let’s get you cleaned up again, yeah? I want you to have enough time to admire your outfit. Oh!” Yuuko gasps and pulls out her wand again, leaving Yuuri to button his own coat- The buttons were so sparkly… Was that real silver embroidery?- as she stood back to look him up and down. “I almost forgot the finishing touch! How do you feel about white shoes?” Yuuri frowned at her. “What? Shoes are very important to the ensemble, Yuuri. They need to be comfortable to dance in, and stylish. Right now, your new suit makes your old shoes look like a burnt roast beef, no offense. Let me fix up your shoes, Yuuri.”  


“The shoes aren’t important-”  


“Okay, maybe they don’t have to be white, but you do need new shoes!” Yuuko waves her wand and suddenly Yuuri’s weight shifted with the new shoes on his feet. They were comfortable, and shiny, he thought, looking down at them.  


“Am I wearing heels?”  


“They’re perfect for dancing, don’t worry, and you look very stunning,” she promised, flattening the silver filigree epaulettes on his shoulders. “Go look in the mirror, I’ll fix your hair again, it’s gotten all messy….” Yuuri did, letting Yuuko flutter over him.  
Looking at himself in the mirror, he almost didn’t recognize himself. His coat sparkled like the ocean in the summer, like starlight in the early morning, and even he was dazzled by it’s beauty. The buttons were real diamonds, connected to the coat with silver. Even his collar sparkled, silver and blue like the young boy in his faded memory. He felt ugly in comparison, despite being the one wearing it. Yuuko handed him the mask again, and he put it on, further hiding himself underneath the guise of a noble. He didn’t feel noble at all, he felt like an imposter, wearing this sparkly suit. A greedy pig, just like Lilia had said. Yuuko must have sensed his waning confidence, because she reached up to adjust his mask, and squeezed his arm gently.  


“Don’t think about Lilia too much, okay? You’re a beautiful, strong young man, and you’re going to make the prince faint with how stunning you are!”  


“Thanks, Yuuko,” Yuuri murmured, adjusting his sleeves. “But I doubt the prince will find me that beautiful… I feel like an imposter…”  


“Except you’re you, Yuuri, no matter what you wear,” Yuuko said, pulling his coattails down and inch. “You’re Yuuri Katsuki, the most beautiful man in the village.” Yuuri laughed as if it weren’t true, but he knew he was at least a little attractive, at least sometimes. But only a little bit, if he could help it. “Is there anything else you want to get ready before we leave?”  


“Ah, well, there was a handkerchief, that the prince sent me,” Yuuri sighed, recalling putting it in the old jacket’s pocket when he went downstairs. “It was thrown in the fire, too, though…” he said, turning to Yuuko, who held the aforementioned handkerchief up with a flourish. “What- How did you-”  


“It fell out of your pocket when I shook the charred remains of the coat out, you didn’t notice? It survived the fire without a scratch.” She shook it out, the bits of ash that still clung to it fluttering to the ground. It sparkled in the candle light, something Yuuri hadn’t noticed before. “It must be enchanted. Maybe the prince has a fairy godmother, too?” Yuuko handed it to him, and Yuuri took it gently. An enchanted kerchief… He’ll ask about it, later, maybe. He stuffs the kerchief in his pocket and lets it hang out a little, hoping that would be enough to catch Viktor’s eye.  


“Yuuri, it’s safe to come down, now,” Chris calls from below. “Are you ready to go?”  


“Yes,” Yuuri calls, stepping toward the window. He hesitated, however, wondering if he should hang out the window dressed like this. “I’ll be down in a moment.” Yuuko must have read his mind, as she was holding up his old cloak when he turned around.  


“In case you wanted to be more inconspicuous before you made your big entrance,” she smiled.  


“No, yeah, that’s perfect, thank you,” Yuuri offered weakly, wrapping himself up in the cloak. “I should probably go downstairs. Will you watch Vicchan for me?” He turned to the dog, who had been surprisingly quiet for the past twenty minutes. Vicchan had fallen asleep, likely tired from such a long day of running around at Yuuri’s heels. Yuuri relaxed, and bent over to kiss his sleeping poodle’s head, happy that at least Vicchan could rest. “Please bring him to the palace if her ladyship comes back before me…” Yuuko nodded, and Yuuri turned to leave. He paused again, turning back to the fairy. 

“There isn’t a time limit on this like in the Cinderella fairytales, is there?” He asked, clinging to the soft fabric of his coat.  


“Well, kind of…?” Yuuko offered. “I’m supposed to say you have six hours before the coat changes back? But no, I gave you a free pass, you deserve it. It should last until you come back here.” Yuuri blinked, trying to process what she was saying. He’d be more stressed if there was a time limit, anyway. “When you return, or if the coat is damaged, which is unlikely, the magic will double back and you’ll essentially be wearing ash. The shoes might last a little longer, though, so by all means, take your time, get to know the prince, thank him for helping you, and remember your manners.” Yuuri nodded slowly, and pulled up his hood.  


“Thank you, Yuuko, I’ll try and remember.” He smiled, and hurried downstairs. Yuuko smiled and sat on the bed next to Vicchan, keeping him company.  


“Have fun!”  
Down below, Chris already had two of the guards riding the creeper back to the garrison, until he could be questioned the next morning when Yuuri and Minako (who had finished locking up only to open up the kitchen door for him) met the blonde outside. The man had come prepared. He was about to ask what had happened, but Minako beat him to it.  


“What in the hell, sir, you better not be putting my Yuuri in danger,” she crowed, a protective hand on Yuuri’s shoulder.  


“Minako, I’m 23-”  


“And have you learned to sword fight yet like a true gentleman? No, now let me talk to Lord Giacometti.”  


“My lady, you and I both know why he has not been taught to fence,” Christophe sighed, a gloved hand resting on both Minako and Yuuri’s shoulders as if they were all old friends. “And no, I fully intend to keep Yuuri safe, it’s why I’m here.” Yuuri sighed, too, pulling his hood further over his mask. He could see in the soft light from the lanterns all around them that Chris was currently wearing his mask as a hat, and almost smiled. How intimidating.  


“Why are you here, though? Prince Viktor didn’t say anything about me having an escort…. I had assumed that I would have to find a way to the ball… Maybe by horse, or… or as I had first intended, Her Ladyship, but…. But I should have known that wouldn’t have worked out.’  


“No, they’re already at the ball.” Chris reached in his pocket to pull out another envelope. “Another note from His Highness, you can read it now, but it won’t give you many details as to why I’m here….”  


“God damn it, tell us, already, or I’ll make you walk back to the castle without your boots,” Minako threatened. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost Yuuri….” Yuuri peeked at her from under his hood, not sure what to do. He knew Minako had cared about him. Her and his mother had been best friends…. But her and Yuuri had never really talked since… wow, since before his mom had died….  


“Yes, I understand. Let’s talk on the way to the carriage. We have plenty of time before the dancing begins.” Yuuri nodded, and let Minako cling to him as they walked.  


“Who was that man?” Yuuri asked, still shaken from that experience.  


“A highwayman paid to kidnap you, or so I’ve gathered,” Chris muttered, watching as said man galloped away to be jailed for the night. “I can only assume Lilia and Yakov had planned this, since Viktor got yelled at for it earlier.”  


“He what?” Yuuri stopped walking. Viktor had gotten caught? “When? What happened? Is he in trouble? I’m so sorry, this is my fault-”  


“Yuuri, calm down, it’s not your fault.” Minako rubbed his back soothingly. It’s not like she could rub his shoulder like she used to do.  


“It is… If- If I had paid attention on the lake, if I had just continued to pretend everything was okay-”  


“Yuuri, he’s fine,” Chris assured him. “Just really worried about you and pining more than ever. You really ruined him, Yuuri, and I am oh so jealous…”  


“Why- what- who sent that man? Did Yakov-”  


“No, he would never. He most likely told Lilia to do something about it or something… That woman is twisted as fuck.”  


“Yeah, she swapped the coats,” Yuuri said bitterly. “And then burned the one she swapped out…”  


“Yeah, we know. Yakov waved the coat intended for you in Viktor’s face, so we could only assume the worst. What are you wearing now, if the second coat was burned?”  


“Strangely enough, the same coat?” Yuuri offered weakly. “It’s just… different now…” He parted his cloak, showing off his glitter in the flickering lamp light. “Don’t tell Viktor, I wanted to be unrecognizable to everyone….. I didn’t even want to come, anyway….” Chris whistled low and Yuuri closed his cloak tightly, glad his blush was hidden by his mask.  


“You certainly put a lot of effort into not wanting to come…” Chris teased.  


“My fairy godmother didn’t give me a choice… At least it’s better than disappointing the prince, right?” He just hoped it was worth it…  


“And you’re certainly not safe here anymore, that’s for sure, if Lilia is trying to get you kidnapped… Why don’t you read Viktor’s letter? Maybe it’ll make you feel better?”  


“I’ll read it in the carriage…” Yuuri replied, holding the letter tight underneath his cloak. “You still didn’t tell me how you knew to come?” He turned to Christophe, who had coaxed him to walking again. Minako followed close behind, listening intently.  


“Yakov wasn’t exactly blunt, when telling Viktor off. I think he might have threatened your life if Viktor didn’t stay in line? Or something, I don’t want to go into too much detail. Viktor sent me ahead just in case Yakov tried something tonight, and… I guess I’m glad I got here in time. Viktor probably would have died of grief, and no one wants his cousin to take the throne. Not that I wouldn’t have come if Viktor wouldn’t die of grief, I don’t want to see something happen to you, either. It’d be a shame to see such a sweet boy rot away in whatever prison that Lilia had planned for you…” Chris had felt Minako’s appalled glare straight through his skull, and she was behind him.  


“Don’t think I can’t beat your ass if something happens to Yuuri, Lord Giacometti,” Minako spoke up, and even Yuuri felt something in him shrivel in fear for the blonde.  


“I fully intend to keep Yuuri safe, my lady, don’t you worry,” Chris repeated, as they stopped by the carriage. More guards stood at attention by the horses. With a gesture, he beckoned over one of the guards to stand with them as they talked. “This is Sir Otabek Altin, he’ll be traveling in the carriage with us. Although he’s only been knighted last year, he’s sure footed, strong willed, and an incredible swordsman. I assure you, our first priority is our precious cargo, else we wouldn’t have come.”  


“That name sounds familiar,” Yuuri frowned, gazing at Otabek curiously. “Have we met? Sir…. Altin?”  


“My father was also a knight, my lord,” Otabek offered. “Perhaps you have met him?”  


“Yes, I recall Viktor sending letters along to you through Sir Altin, merely because you knew he knew where to go…” Chris recalled. “He must have been part of the entourage that took you home that day.” Yuuri nodded slowly. That made sense. Goodness, there were so many things happening at once. He didn’t know where to pay attention. He turned to Minako, who seemed to be placated for now.  


“And what about the prince?” She asked. “What if they get caught together? I have an understanding that Lilia and this Yakov were working to keep them apart for some odd reason?”  


“Mainly old social constructs, and old grudges,” Chris replied easily. “It’s mostly because Yakov needs to take a long nap and maybe something to help his headaches, and Lilia has her skirt in such a twist over something or other that Viktor did a long time back. She just wants him to be miserable, is my guess. I’ve a biased opinion, though, so perhaps you can ask Lilia once all this blows over?”  


“I’ll make sure to slap her for good measure, though who knows when that will be?” Yuuri remembered when Mari had slapped Lilia, only for a brief moment, but it made him feel a little stronger knowing that there were so many people that would fight for him rather than against him.  


“I hope you take great pleasure in that,” Christophe laughs. Minako smiles to herself.  


“Believe me, I will. Is there an escape plan for if they get caught?” Yuuri looks between them, silently wishing he had thought of an escape plan if the prince ends up being a creep, after all… Christophe nods in reply to Minako.  


“We have devised something of a retreat if Yakov and Lilia realize who you are, though everything should be airtight… besides the fact that they might be waiting for us. I’m to sneak you in the servants’ entrance once we arrive, so be ready for a bit of a detour, alright, Yuuri?” Yuuri nodded, starting to get nervous all over again. “You’re awfully quiet, are you alright?”  


“Just… nervous…” Yuuri admits, shuffling his feet. “I’ve never been to a ball before, and since there are people out to kill me, now, it just makes it all the more…. I don’t know, intimidating? I feel like it should be exhilarating, but I just feel… small and scared. Maybe I’m just tired. Do I have time to take a nap in the carriage?”  


“... I suppose, as there might be some foot traffic on the way to the ball. There’s a lot of people coming to the ball, tonight, which is good; you should be able to blend in well until we get inside. Would you rather meet with Viktor somewhere more quiet than the ballroom? It’s large, but it can be stifling when it’s packed with people.” Although it was a nice thought, Yuuri shook his head.  


“It might look suspicious if the prince disappears for a period of time, wouldn’t it? I think being surrounded by a crowd is better…” Besides that, Yuuri didn’t think he would make much of an impression on people if he hid away with Viktor, anyway. It sounded risque, for some reason. Forbidden. That, and the fact that he was scared shitless.  


“Perhaps, but he may need to speak with you in secret, anyway,” Chris murmured, opening the carriage door. “He told you he had some urgent news for you, didn’t he?” Nodding, Yuuri looked at Minako, who seemed uneasy.  


“What urgent news?”  


“He didn’t want to say in the letter, but it’s really one of the only reasons I’m going,” Yuuri admitted. He hadn’t wanted to disappoint, or commit treason, or god forbid waste such a beautiful costume as the one Yuuko made for him. He rested a tremulous -and rather cold, due to the late March snow that was falling- hand on the carriage door, his stomach jumping with the steady course of… something that was starting to bloom in his chest.  


“What are the other reasons?” He could feel Minako’s and Chris’s eyes on him. He shrugged his shoulders, riding the warmth in his chest upon realizing what he was feeling. Hope and…. He felt like he was doing something dangerous, like taking the reins of a horse without knowing how to ride.  


“I was sick of feeling sorry for myself, I suppose?” he offered, trying to put his thoughts into words. “Even though I’m scared shitless of Lilia and I don’t know what I’m getting into, forcing myself to go to a ball so I don’t disappoint or commit treason or something.” He sighs, and looks down at his very expensive looking costume. “And Yuuko worked so hard to make this for me, I don’t think I could just not wear it…. So… I might as well go, right? Besides possible arrest or death, what could go wrong?” Yuuri forced a smile and turned to climb into the carriage without ceremony. “Let’s go, before I change my mind.” He already had changed his mind. Again. He wanted to go inside and curl up with Vicchan and stay there until he died. But if he was ever going to get away from Lilia, he needed to help himself. He didn’t need saving. He needed to take action.  


He didn’t look back as they left the estate, as much as he wanted to.

 

 

**That Afternoon - Five Hours Till The Ball**

“VIIIIIKTOOOOR!”  


Everyone in the room flinched as Yakov barreled into the room, an opened brown package in his hand as he forged a path through bolts of fabric and throngs of decorators in the ballroom. Viktor went white, immediately recognizing the package as the one he had sent Chris off with a few hours ago. A flurry of scullery maids carrying a table nearly dropped it in their hurry to escape Yakov’s rage. Viktor had been discussing tablecloth colors (gag) when he had been found. Chris, a few feet away, now assisted with the table. Viktor shot him a vaguely panicked look, trying his best to make it look like he had control of the situation. Christophe nodded and Viktor tried to turn back to his conversation, even though it had clearly been interrupted. Yakov grabbed him by the shoulder.  


“Yakov, I didn’t see you, did you have a pleasant respite?” He dismissed the frightened and confused seamstress, and turned to the royal adviser, who had since turned purple.  


“Care to explain this, Your Highness?” Yakov spat, and threw the package on the table beside them. It fell open, revealing the coat that had been meant for Yuuri. “I thought we were done with this. I thought you had gotten it through that skull of yours that you can’t be friends with that boy.”  


“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Viktor didn’t look at the coat.  


“It’s your bloody coat, Viktor, and I want to know how in hell you managed to get it to him.”  


“He deserves better, Yakov, Lilia is way too hard on him.”  


“His Highness deserves better, now listen to me, for the last time, you can NOT be seen with him!”  


“And why not, Yakov? Because he’s a commoner? I’m friends with plenty of the waitstaff, and you don’t seem to care about that. Aren’t I supposed to know who my subjects are? How can I better serve them if I don’t know who they are?”  


“It’s nice that you’re thinking of things like that, but you’re too naive, Viktor, you can’t always please everyone. You have to be careful.”  


“Careful, of what? Revolt? Certainly if I can’t please everyone, there definitely will be a revolt. I swear, the moment I’m King, this commoner nonsense is going to be thrown out the window, it’s ridiculous! My people are treated like garbage, because you don’t want to get your feet dirty?”  


“Viktor, you know damn well that is not why you should be careful around that boy.”  


“Apparently I don’t. Yakov, his family were the gentlest people I’ve ever met, the moment I was accepted into their home, I didn’t feel like a prince, I felt so at home there, like… It was like a warm hug, and it felt so good, after so many years of stone and discipline. I just wanted to feel that again, is that so wrong? To want to keep that warmth- that light safe? Have you ever been in town long enough to get to know any of my subjects? I think the only crowd you’ve ever kept is the nobility, isn’t that right?” Viktor held his gaze with Yakov, who was seething and still very purple. “You don’t have anything to say to that, do you?”  


“I’m not having this argument with you again. It is against the law-”  


“To what, Yakov? Be human? You can’t just ignore more than half the population just because they don’t have as much coin as you do. Ever since the epidemic, you’ve been afraid of going back into town, and why? Because none of the nobility did a god damn thing to help all the sick in the village. I’m sick of this, Yakov, you can’t be a coward forever.” Yakov opened his mouth to retaliate, but, realizing that Viktor put up a solid point, he growled under his breath and slammed his fist on the table. Viktor jumped.  


“This nonsense ends now, Viktor, you’ll learn the hard way, just as I had to. You can’t always get what you want. If I see that Katu-whatever at the ball, I’m having him arrested. And if you interfere in anyway, you’ll be on house arrest for-”  


“I’ve been on house arrest for more than a decade, Yakov! The only sun I’ve gotten has been during horseback riding and sitting in the atrium. If you try and touch that poor boy, after the hell of a life he’s had, you can kiss my ass goodbye, you can have Yuri as king, I’m sure he’d be so obedient, though I doubt he’d be a very kind king. I just hope he’ll be merciful.” Viktor reaches for the coat, intending to leave, but Yakov stops him, and slaps him upside the face. A stunned silence settles over the room, and the sound was deafening, vibrating with tense surprise and anger. Even Yakov was surprised. Viktor is the first to start moving again and yanks the coat away from Yakov.  


“Viktor-”  


“Your Highness-”  


“I’m fine, thank you,” Viktor smiled crisply to the mass of waitstaff that started to form. “Go, finish preparations for the ball, I’ll be alright.”  


“Viktor, you can’t just do whatever you want, there must be order,” Yakov stepped forward, as Viktor had stepped away. “You can’t-”  


“There will be order,” Viktor muttered coldly, refolding the coat gently and holding it to his chest. “Just not in the vision that you have in mind. You’ve accepted the fact that I’ll never bed a woman, but you still haven’t realized that I’m smarter than you seem to think I am. Why don’t you take your head out of your ass and think about all the possible viable reasons there could be for me to turn my back on my subjects, when things are so tense in the village already.” Viktor started walking, playing with a button on the coat. Chris started up to follow him.  


“Viktor- Get back here, and give me that coat! You’re not to see that boy again, and you are absolutely not getting that coat to him, do you hear me?”  


“Stop being a classist son of a bitch, Yakov, and maybe I’ll hear you one day.”  


“What was that?”  


“I need a drink,” Viktor muttered, walking serenely out of the ballroom and toward a service stairway nearby. Chris sighed, following him, still processing what he’d just witnessed.  


"Are you okay?" Chris whispered back, stopping Viktor in the hall.  


"As soon as you have the chance, go make sure Yuuri is okay. Leave when Yakov is distracted, I need you to go and collect him for the ball, I'm worried for his safety."  


"What do you mean?"  


"The only way Yakov could have known that I sent that coat is if Lilia intercepted it. They know. We have to fix this, Chris, I don't want him getting hurt."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  


_YF_

_They're in contact. I found this coat in Y's bedroom. Take care of it before it gets out of hand._

_LB_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOO BOY SO TENSE
> 
> Don't you just hate it when arguments go on and on because one person keeps saying the same thing over and over again without really putting up a valid argument? Me too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yakov's motive is finally revealed, somewhat, and Viktor and Yuuri finally reunite kind of!

Yakov was once a forgiving man. He still was, though he was selective in what he could forgive. He’d been hardened by things that he doesn’t talk about anymore, and things that he doesn’t realize had changed him. As Royal Vizier, he had a set regimen that he refused to stray from, whipped into shape from many years of war. He needed order, and if there was order, he was happy. 

He hasn’t had proper order for a good 20 years. He marked the day his hair started thinning and all order flew out the window as the day the crown prince Viktor Nikiforov turned 7 years old. 

Of course, Viktor wasn’t really a problem until about four years after that. The real problem then had been how ill his wife had become. Add on the fact that the kingdom was still rebuilding from the end of the war, and Yakov was stretched so thin amidst city planning and helping the king with the townsfolk who had lost mostly everything, and it made for a very busy and very stressed Royal Vizier. 

Lilia Baronovskya Feltsman had just lost her third child, and was beginning to fall into a deep depression that even the most practiced doctors could not treat. Soon she became ill, because she wouldn’t eat, and Yakov was growing nervous that he would lose her. She kept asking for her daughter, instead of food, and grew angry when they brought her young Sara, for she wanted her baby, where was her newborn baby? Sara had only been born three years prior, and did not understand why her mother did not want her. Her twin brother, Michele, did her best to comfort her, and they worked together to try and make their mother happy, but to no avail. She wallowed in her sorrow, and refused to leave the comfort of her bed. 

Yakov would visit her everyday, sitting with her until she would at least nibble some toast or drink some water, but she wouldn’t take anything other than that. Yakov wept when she wept, holding her tight to his chest. 

Lilia was once sweet and strong, as beautiful and as radiant as the sun, Yakov remembered. She had come from a very strict family, and so strict was she, but she knew how to have fun when it counted. She had once said that she felt so free, ‘like a wild horse on the prairie,’ with Yakov, who had been so kind and gentlemanly to her. They had a beautiful relationship, that many other people were jealous of. 

Little by little, Yakov coaxed her out of her room, but she would still not look at her first two children. Michele was sent to the castle to become a page once he turned seven, leaving Sara by herself. She once tried to run away to the castle with the help of her nursemaid, about a week after he left, but Yakov busted her before she could leave in the carriage. He let her send letters, however, and every night, she would write a letter of encouragement and well wishes to her brother to study her writing, and he would reply back every time. Lilia did her best to become a good mother, again, sometimes helping Sara with her studies, and teaching her dance, but she still couldn’t stray past the sunroom or her bedroom, some days. But she was out of bed, and to Yakov, that was a start. 

One day, a knock sounded at the door, to which young Sara responded, expecting today’s letter from Michele. Instead of a letter, she found a basket, one with big blue eyes and a scrunched up nose. With a soft gasp, she dragged the basket into the foyer as best as a seven year old could, calling for Lilia. Fearing that Sara had gotten hurt, Lilia rushed into the room, stopping dead when she saw the child in the basket, who stared up at Lilia expectantly, her face red from crying. Almost barely processing what was happening, Lilia knelt beside her daughter and the basket, picked up the child, and held her close, to which the baby responded with more crying. When Yakov returned home that evening from the palace, he found Sara, Lilia, and the abandoned child (whom they learned was named Mila, from the letter attached to the basket), all asleep in Lilia’s room, where clothes and toys were strewn about as if it were Christmas. Yakov wasn’t sure what to make of Mila until the next morning, where Lilia debated heavily towards keeping the child. (Yakov did not object, for fear of losing Lilia to her depression again.) 

She was more cautious than before, more reserved, but she could be seen smiling every so often when Mila smiled, or when Sara drew her a picture. Yakov still stressed and worried, but everything was okay. 

Until began tutoring the prince again. Viktor was such a sweet boy, but he was terrible as a student. He did everything in his power to try and get out of studying, but still did his best to make sure Lilia was in good health. Lilia didn’t find it the slightest bit amusing. 

She missed her daughters dearly. 

Most days, it was little things. 

“Your Highness, please, turn to page 25 and recite the third paragraph, and put that away!” 

“If it pleases Her Ladyship, I would like to finish this, it’s a poem for you.” Twelve year old Viktor Nikiforov smiles, dipping his quill in ink. There’s a smudge of ink on his cheek and on his nose. “It’s to wish you good health in the coming days.” 

“I would have better health if you would pay more attention in your studies,” Lilia mumbles under her breath. “You can finish it later, for now read the passage on page 25. 

“Yes Ma’am,” Viktor says. “Can I read you the poem after?” 

“After you read this passage, you’re to translate it into French, and then into English. From there we have Arithmetic, so maybe then you may read me your poem.” 

“Before Arithmetic?” asked the hopeful prince. 

“After.” 

Other days, it was slightly more disruptive. 

“Your Highness, you’ll be late for your viola lesson!” Yakov calls, 

“Makkachin needs a walk, I’ll be there after,” a fourteen year old Viktor replies, carrying his puppy to the gardens. “If I don’t take him out, he’ll take it out on the rug again!” 

“But you’ve been late for your lessons all week, you need to be on time. A prince must always be punctual!” Viktor disappeared anyway, taking Makkachin with him. 

And then sometimes, he was outright dastardly, and Lilia was at her wits end attempting to get him focused. 

“Where is the prince?” Lilia inquires to a throng of serving maids hanging out the window. 

“Out in the gardens with the Lord Giacometti’s son, they’ve taken quite fast, don’t you think?” One of them says. Lilia peers out a window, too, only to find the Viktor and Chris racing through the gardens, disrupting gardeners and wildlife alike. Steaming, she shooed the serving maids away and stuck her head out the window again to call Viktor back inside. 

“Viktor Nikiforov, I don’t care if you are the crown prince, if you don’t get up here in the next five minutes, I’ll bend you over my knee like a child, you hear me? I do not have the patience for your ninny games!” 

“We were just having fun, Your Ladyship,” Viktor, now 16 called up, a muddy Makkachin charging up between the two boys. “Can’t we have the lesson in the garden, today? It’s so nice out, and you could use some sun. Please?” 

“You have had enough outdoors today, Viktor, now get up here! We are not having a history lesson in the garden, we are to have it in your antechamber. I’ll come down there and drag you by the ear if I have to!” 

“But Your Ladyship- Makkachin, get down!” Viktor laughed, the poodle having grown a little larger in the few years he’s had him, and liked to jump on everyone. Viktor was doing his best to discipline him, or so it seemed. 

“No more buts, and as soon as you get up here, you’re to change your clothes! You’re filthy! A respectable prince would never let himself get filthy unless it’s absolutely unavoidable!” Viktor didn’t respond, too busy helping Chris ward off a very muddy Makkachin. “Viktor!” 

“Yes, Ma’am!” 

It wasn’t necessarily that Viktor wouldn’t listen, it was that Lilia was trying so hard to get him to listen, that she didn’t realize how much he was actually taking in. 

“Sorry I’m late, Your Ladyship, I was picking you these flowers, I thought they would look lovely on your desk.” 

“They would look more lovely in the garden, Viktor,” she said, as Viktor set the vase of flowers on her desk anyway. “Recite the Laws of the People.” 

“I wrote a poem to remember them, is that alright?” 

“Recite the laws, not poetry.” Viktor did, fumbling over his memory. “With purpose and diction,” Lilia scolded. 

“I’m trying, let me recite my poem, I memorized that, instead, it’s much easier to remember.” 

“Viktor I can’t teach you if you don’t study.” 

“I did study, I just did it my way.” 

“If you’re going to become king, then you must learn to be responsible-” 

“I did study, Your Ladyship-” 

“Speak when you’re spoken to, you are not king yet.” Viktor fell silent. “Open your book to page forty, we’ll go over the laws again.” When Viktor didn’t move, Lilia’s frown deepened. “Well?” 

“I left my book in my room.” 

“For the love of- Use mine. Page forty, now.” She slams her book onto Viktor’s desk, making Viktor jump. “Read the laws aloud. There will be a quiz tomorrow.” 

It got worse overtime. When the epidemic began, and the palace was packed with nobles fearing illness and death, Viktor hid in his room, fearing Lilia’s wrath. She was at her wit’s end, and as much as he wanted to make sure she was alright, knowing her history with illness, he didn’t want to get scolded for bothering her with his concern, odd enough as it sounded. Chris was assigned with attending to him, bringing him food and water. Lilia, meanwhile, tried to distracting herself with trying to get Viktor to come to lessons. 

“He will not leave his room, Your Ladyship,” Chris tries to explain without offending her. He’d only attended a few lessons, so far, but he already knew that when Lilia got angry, it wasn’t pretty. 

“Why not? He is not ill, is he?” 

“No, he-” 

“Then what excuse could he possibly have to not come to his lessons?” Chris hesitated, trying and failing to come up with something that wouldn’t upset Lilia further. “Well? Spit it out!” 

“He- doesn’t want to upset you…?” He says. Upon seeing Lilia’s reaction, a mix between confusion and anger boiling inside her, as Yakov watches warily from where he’s in conversation with the King. “I realize it’s terribly ironic, now, but I don’t think he has, yet… Realized, that is. He does ask after your health, however, and wishes you happiness.” 

“He’s clearly got something wrong with him,” Lilia decides, the desired effect of Chris’s words not quite getting through to her. “I’ll bring the lesson to him, then.” And just like that, Lilia hikes up her skirt, and prepares to storm off to Viktor’s room. 

Before she could, however, one of the queen’s handmaidens, drenched in sweat and vomit hurried into the room, forcing Lilia to step aside. The other people that lounged in the room, for lack of better things to do, drew back from her, turning up their noses. “Your Majesty! It’s the queen!” The room fell silent, and Yakov and the King looked up in disbelief. Chris could see from across the room how tense the King had suddenly gotten. “She’s very sick, you must come, quickly!” 

Without any further hesitation, they followed the handmaiden up to the queen’s bedchambers, and Lilia and Chris exchanged a glance, any anger or tension between the two of them fading fast. 

“Go collect Viktor, then. I’ll be anon.” When Chris didn’t move, she ushered him along with a gentle push. “Go, now, I’m going up, too.” Chris left without another word, and Lilia followed at a reserved pace, a sliver of shame creeping down her spine. She watched Chris run up the stairs, doing her best to keep up with them. She wasn’t about to miss the only chance she’d ever get to say goodbye to her dear sister. 

Though the Queen was buried soon after she died, her last rites regrettably rushed, they were unable to hold a proper funeral until after the epidemic passed. Viktor and the King stood side by side at the gravesite, silver hair blowing in a gentle breeze as the day came to a close. The young prince wasn’t sure if the entire kingdom had come out of obligation or mourning, and he didn’t care. It had been so crazy throughout the day, that he had barely even noticed time passing. Now, he turned his eyes to the red sunset, the same that he and his mother had so loved to watch when he was little, as his mother brushed his long hair, and he bit back tears of regret for not spending more time with her as he got older. Sure they had talked over dinner, and tea, but he had had so many things he wanted to tell her that he couldn’t over dinner and tea. He dashed a tear from his cheek before his father could see it, refusing to look at the headstone, instead looking ahead as the sun set beyond the horizon. He had refused to wear black, instead choosing a dark blue. Blue like the sky, like his eyes, like his mother’s. Like the ocean. He wiped another tear away. 

“I used to say she looked like a stormy sea, wild and beautiful,” his father spoke up. His voice was gravelly but steady at the same time. It was how Viktor’s heart felt. There was another silence as he heard him clear his throat. “You’re just like her, when she was younger. Headstrong and stubborn, and- beautiful. Ethereal. Have I ever told you the story of how we met? I nearly ran into a wall, she was so beautiful.” Viktor was half listening, too busy fighting back tears. He turned to glance at his father once he was certain he had his tears under control, only to find that the King couldn’t look at the grave, either, his eyes turned to the sunset. He turned away when he saw tears glistening in his father’s eyes, as well. He didn’t want to see his father cry. 

Another breeze blew past them, blowing snow around their ankles. Viktor reached over to brush the snow from the top of the headstone, shielding it from the wind. It was too cold to stand out here all night, but Viktor didn’t mind it. It felt good, and it gave him a better excuse to wipe his tears away than the obvious reason of hiding them from his father. 

“We should go inside,” Viktor says. He dusts off the headstone again before he stands up, as it’s started to snow again. “Goodnight, mother.” He feels a hand on his shoulder, turning to see his father’s gentle expression. “I know, it’s time to go. I’ll fetch us some tea from the kitchens.” 

“You don’t have to-” 

“I want to do it myself. Mother taught me how to make the best cup of tea. She always made her own cup, didn’t you know?” He forced a smile, draping an arm around his father’s shoulder to shield him from the wind, instead. The King nodded, wrapping his arm around Viktor’s in turn, more for the warmth and comfort than anything else, but Viktor accepted it gladly. “C’mon, she wouldn’t want us to freeze.” 

“I’d gladly freeze for her,” the King breathed, as they trudged to the castle. 

“I know,” Viktor replied, pulling his hat further over his ears. “I would, too.” 

The next morning, Viktor went out to clean the grave again, pulling his cap over messily cropped short hair. In his hands, he held a bouquet of flowers, tied together with his neatly braided hair. No one said anything about it at breakfast. Everyone knew how much the Queen had loved Viktor’s long hair. Earlier that day, he saw his father do the same, their braids left like an offering at the Queen’s grave.

-

_Yuuri-_

_I’m sorry I couldn’t send any letters, they wouldn’t send anyone during the smallpox outbreak. I was so worried about you, Yuuri, I could barely stand it! I know you haven’t been returning my letters for whatever reason, but maybe it’s because you can’t send one back? Have I been sending my letters in vain? I hope you’re alright. The tax census should be coming back, soon, I’m anxious to know of your health. Please please reply this time, else I might go ma_

Viktor scratched out the line, and crumpled the piece of parchment up to throw on the floor. He told himself these letters were the only thing keeping him sane, but since Yuuri wouldn’t answer him back, he was certain he’d slowly lose his mind in time. 

_My dearest-------------------------_

“Viktor.” Chris hurried through the door, a piece of paper in his hand. Viktor looked up from his letters, and could hear Yakov shouting up the hallway for Chris to come back. “It’s the Katsukis, they’re missing someone, there’s only three people.” 

“What?” Viktor knocked over his chair in his haste. “What do you mean, missing?” His mouth felt dry. It wasn’t Yuuri, was it? Sweet, sweet Yuuri. 

“That’s just it, they crossed off four, and wrote down three. They lost someone in the epidemic. Viktor, I’m sorry-’ Viktor took the paper and scanned the page. He didn’t know what to do. Suddenly Yakov had snatched the paper back, and boxed Chris over the ear sharply. Viktor had already tuned them out, and turned, running a hand through his hair. He went to the window, searching for air. He found none, his collar suddenly stifling. 

“Viktor, are you okay?” He shook his head, a thousand possibilities running through his head. It could be one of the other Katsukis, it could be his sister, or his father, or his mother. Either way, he didn’t want Yuuri to lose someone as much as he didn’t want Yuuri to be dead. Oh please let Yuuri be not dead. 

He had to see him. He had to see for himself. 

Without another word, he pushed his way out of the room and down the stairs, nearly toppling himself and another person down the stairs on his way down. He didn’t see who it was, only someone that he couldn’t speak to. Somewhere along the way, Makkachin had started following, and he was running, running to the lake where he had met Yuuri all that time ago. It had felt like forever since he had seen him, but it had only been four years. Without a second thought, he stepped onto the icy lake, intending to run the entire way. The ice bowed beneath his weight, and Makkachin stayed behind, favoring solid ground. Viktor only cared about his seeing poor, sweet Yuuri again. Once he found his footing, he slid further out on the ice, ignoring the cries from the shore. 

“It’s going to break!” 

“Viktor, get back here, the ice isn’t strong enough!” 

“Your Highness!” 

“What are you doing!” 

“Viktor!” 

He didn’t hear the ice crack and kept going, determined to no end, until he heard the ice crack again, a loud snap, like a bone breaking. He stilled, breathing heavy as he tried to balance himself out. 

“Come back!” 

Viktor turned around, everything rushing around him at once, the ringing in his ears ceasing to a low buzz. A crowd of people stood at the shore of the lake, Makkachin standing just at the edge, whining with the rest of them. Shivering, he looked down at the ice, afraid to move. Yuuri. He had to find Yuuri. But if the ice broke, he’d have no way to get to him. The road. He looked up. He was almost there, he could get to the road from here if he was careful. He took another tentative step forward. The ice groaned underneath him, he could feel it. Viktor paused again, his mind working overtime as he tried to solve his problem. He knew the ice, he skated on it almost every winter. But that was when the ice was stronger. It was starting to melt, he realized far too late. It was almost the end of February. Fear gripped him through his adrenaline, and he panicked, moving faster. The ice cracked faster as a result, and it broke underneath him, causing him to slip before he could reach the other shore. He gasped before he hit the water, mostly in surprise rather than necessity; the water was freezing, so much so that he could barely move. But he did move, working to rise back to the surface. Bare hands gripped at slick ice, numb from the cold. His fingers kept slipping, and he couldn’t pull himself up. 

Muffled shouts could be heard above him, and two pairs of arms reached into the icy water to pull him up. He could hear Makkachin barking, someone was shouting for blankets and dry clothes, his teeth were chattering. 

“Y-Yuuri-” he breathed, barely aware of strong, warm arms gathering him up and carrying him back to the castle. 

“Quiet, Viktor, what were you thinking? You know you can’t go out on the ice this time of year.” 

“I can- see mo-mother,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “Does-does sh-she know if Yuuri’s okay?” 

“Quit being dramatic, you’ll live. You were only in the water for a few seconds.” 

“Cold…” It was his father, he decided, and leaned into his shoulder. 

“You’ll be warm soon. Just be quiet for now, okay?” Viktor mumbled into his shoulder, shivering in the cold. 

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he woke up later that day, it was just starting to get dark, and he was warm and tucked neatly into his bed, a warm towel on his forehead to ward off the chill of the cooling evening air. Chris sat on his bed next to him, staring into the fireplace across the room. He could still feel a chill despite the heat of the towel and the warm blankets, suggesting maybe he wasn’t quite warm yet, but he could assume for now that it was just the cold of the room on his cheek. He shifted into a more comfortable position, hugging an incredibly soft and comforting pillow. On his other side, he could feel Makkachin sleeping contently at his back. Chris turned to look at him, seeming to visibly relax. 

“Oh thank god,” he whispered, flopping down onto the bed next to him. “You know you scared the living shit out of everyone today.” Viktor nodded, hiding under his pillow. “Yakov looked ready to jump in the lake after you, he was so worried.” 

“Worried he wouldn’t have anyone to yell at anymore?” Viktor smiled, voice hoarse. 

“No, I think he was actually concerned, Viktor, everyone thought you were going to die. People have died out on that lake before, you know.” 

“I know….” He thought of Yuuri, skating all that way, lost and afraid. He thought of Yuuri getting lost on the lake and freezing. He didn’t like that thought. “Yuuri skated across the entire lake by himself, did I tell you that?” 

“It is about the Katsuki boy, isn’t it? God, Viktor, this is my fault-” 

“No, it isn’t, Chris, you didn’t know how I would react. I wasn’t thinking, I wasn’t… I’m not in the right head space, right now.” Silence ensued. Viktor eventually came up from his pillow for air. Chris reached up to rub at his face with the warm towel that fell to the bed. 

“Your lips are still blue,” he said, and Viktor turned away from him to worry on his bottom lip to make it warm up faster. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“No….” 

“Will you talk about it anyway? It’ll make you feel better.” Viktor didn’t answer. “You were talking in your sleep, Viktor, you were proposing to this poor kid.” 

“So?” 

“So, maybe you should at least invite him over, first.” 

“He won’t respond to my letters, I’m afraid he’ll barely want to be friends with me….” 

“Aside from that, have you ever thought about the fact that maybe he won’t want to marry you, either? There is such a thing as a straight person, you know.” Viktor’s cheeks heated and he dropped his face into the pillow again. 

“I thought they went extinct.” 

“Viktor, listen to yourself. You almost killed yourself over a boy you had tea with once! I mean sure, it’s understandable to get upset, but you didn’t have to throw yourself into the lake!” 

“I was trying to skate to him.” 

“On melting ice?” 

“I forgot.” 

“You for-” Chris sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me you’re joking.” Viktor shrugged. “You should be more concerned for yourself right now, you’ve lost your mind.” 

“Let me mourn in peace, Christophe, I… really don’t want to talk about anything right now.” 

Chris looked down at his prince with concern and pity. Viktor barely moved. 

“Do you want a hug before I leave?” Silence, and then a reluctant nod from the silver head of hair sprawled over the pillow rather dramatically, actually, now that Chris thought about it. It didn’t have the same effect as his long hair had. Christophe drew the prince into his arms, hugging him tightly. Viktor returned it, his face tucked neatly into his friend’s neck. “I worry about you, too, Viktor…” he whispered, letting Viktor stay there in his arms until the elder decided to pull away. “Now rest, stay in bed, stay warm. I’ll bring up your dinner for you, soon.” 

“Thank you, Chris…” Viktor replied, sinking back into his blankets and turning to snuggle Makkachin, who was still asleep and snoring softly. As soon as he was sure Chris was gone, he let his tears fall, weeping silently for the alleged death of his sweet skater boy. 

A week passed, and Viktor still hadn’t emerged from his room, much to the annoyance of Lilia. Yakov understood to some extent that this was about the boy from the Katsuki household, and thought it was absolutely ridiculous. 

“Why won’t he come out? He’s not ill, I know that much.” 

“He’s upset because of the census. A commoner boy that had gotten lost out on the lake, that he had helped get home. He’s been trying to maintain a friendship with him, or haven’t you noticed him trying to sneak off to the village since that day?” 

“Yes, but what does this have to do with the census? He knows that he shouldn’t befriend the common folk, that’s filthy.” 

“Their household came back with one less person after the epidemic, and he seems to think it’s the boy. This has to stop, he’s nearly gotten himself killed for this boy, it’s become an unhealthy obsession.” 

“That’s only because you keep stealing his letters. He wouldn’t be so worried about the boy if you would let him send letters to him.” 

“That’s the problem, though, if I let him talk to the boy, they’ll become friends, and that’s exactly what we don’t want!” 

“True, but he can’t just wallow in his own sorrow until he dies!” 

Outside of Yakov’s office, Chris listened in with abject horror. This was all Yakov’s fault. All because what, some obsession with an old law? What was his goal? Harden Viktor into an unfeeling person with nothing to live for except make sure the kingdom doesn’t go up in flames? Chris wouldn’t allow it. He was certain that as soon as Viktor was king, he was going to do something about it. He ran to Viktor’s room as fast as he could, formulating a plan to get Viktor out of the house as he went. 

“We can’t have them in contact, Lilia, it’s entirely out of the question.” 

“So what if they become friends? It’s not as if they’ll burn down the castle.” 

“But if they do become friends, what will that say about Viktor? His family’s reputation would be ruined!” 

“What reputation? Yakov, his family is a joke, they’re stuck up and slimy, and they don’t get anything done! So let Viktor associate himself with filth, it’ll be a nice scandal that everyone can laugh about when he realizes his mistake.” 

“I don’t want him to, it will cause a riot! If people knew that Viktor had nearly gotten himself killed over this commoner boy, they wouldn’t just riot the castle, what would happen to that boy? They would accuse him of treason, or witchcraft, for bewitching the prince into his own demise!” 

“Then let them accuse the boy of witchcraft, our problems will be solved!” 

“But then Viktor would never leave his room! We’d have to call upon his cousin for our heir, and then where would we be? Yuri would be a tyrant, I’m certain of it! Jealous and headstrong, and a snotty brat, through and through.” 

“Then I’ll take care of the situation, if you won’t,” Lilia declared. “You can’t seem to make up your mind, so I’ll make it up for you. If Viktor can’t function without the thought of this boy being alive, then I’ll…. I’ll just hide him away, where he’ll never find him. He’ll have the knowledge that the boy is alive, but he won’t know where he is! It’s brilliant.” 

“Sounds like a wild goose chase, to me. I’m very certain he’d risk his life to rescue that boy. Let’s wait until this phase dies down before we do anything about it. Meanwhile, if he writes anymore letters, I’ll continue intercepting them. For now, we need to prepare Viktor to be king. And whip that Giacometti boy into shape, as well, while you’re at it, if he’s going to be living here, he needs to be ready to serve a strong and just king, not a ninny who falls on his face for a boy he doesn’t even know.” 

“I’ll come up with something better in the meantime, then. I’ll be associating with the common folk, but it will definitely be worth the wait.”

_Yuuri-_

_If you’re reading this, then you’ve been successfully rescued by Chris. If you didn’t need rescuing, then all the better, but a rescue mission it was, all the same_.  


_I do hope you found something to wear. It seems that Lilia and Yakov are onto us. Please note that if they do find out you were able to come, we have a detailed escape plan, where we’re to retreat to your sister’s estate in the country. I deeply apologize for all the pain that Lilia’s caused you and hope to rectify it, in some way or another. Please don’t forget that I’ll protect you no matter what, if you’ll let me, for ever since that day after the epidemic, I vowed to protect you, to make sure you’re safe, for I didn’t do a very good job of it before. I wasn’t a very good friend, I’m sure, as I wasn’t able to make absolutely sure my letters were going through, and I wish you godspeed on your way to the ball._

_Your dear friend,_

_Viktor_

_P.S.- Don’t forget, I have something to show you, and it’s more fervent than ever that we hasten that meeting. I’m certain that if we hadn’t met that you would have died, but I’m even more certain that if I hadn’t made an effort to be friends with you that we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place. I don’t know what has gotten into Lilia, but I’m certain that she hates me for wanting to be friends with you. I’ll see you soon, Yuuri. And tell Chris that I’m counting on him to keep you safe._

The castle was absolutely packed with men and women dressed their best for the prince. Yuuri hid behind the curtain in the window of the carriage door, certain that someone would recognize him and alert Lilia. He ducked below the window when he spotted Lilia walking into the large doors, and decided that he would have to sneak in, after all. 

The foot traffic was terrible on the way to the palace, as Chris had said. When they finally got out of the carriage to sneak in through a servant’s door, Yuuri kept his hood tight around his face. Chris kept a hand on his shoulder as they stole into the palace, and Otabek made sure the horses would be led to the stables before following them. 

He’d never seen so many people in one place before, it was almost stifling. He wasn’t sure if Chris’s hand was making it better or worse, but certainly it would be far worse if he were alone. He was glad that Chris had come to get him. 

“Up ahead, there’s a servant’s stairwell, we can hide your cloak here. We’ve already had provisions prepared for the road in case things get hairy,” Chris whispered close to his ear. Yuuri nodded and shed his cloak, and made sure his mask was secure. Footsteps sounded behind them and Yuuri turned sharply, nearly knocking down a tapestry. Otabek appeared from the darkness, a lantern in hand. 

“Sorry, it’s just me, if that’s alright.” Yuuri nodded, blinking. He’d never wore a mask before, and the feathers were tickling his cheeks. At least it was a comfortable fit. Chris rested a hand on his shoulder again. 

“I hadn’t noticed before, but your costume almost matches Viktors,” Chris mutters in wonder, looking him up and down. “It suits you.” Yuuri’s face flushed under his mask, and he fixed his waistcoat. 

“Thank you,” Yuuri muttered. “Should we-” 

“The banquet should be starting soon, so maybe not. Just about now, Yakov should be looking for Viktor on the opposite side of the castle. Viktor wanted to see you before the ball, in case something went wrong.” 

“What? But I’m not ready!” Yuuri hissed, his heart pounding. “I thought I would have more time to compose myself, I don’t know what to expect, what if-” 

Just as Yuuri paused to try and think of the worst possible scenario, a pair of heels click clacked down the servant’s staircase. Yuuri scrambled to cover himself with his cloak again, shy and unprepared. 

“What are you doing, that’s him, don’t cover up! Yuuri-” 

“Is that him?” Viktor spoke up, the trepidation evident in his voice. Yuuri and Chris froze, both wrestling with the cloak, one half of Yuuri’s face hidden by the cowl and the cape wrapped tightly around his waist, while the other was tangled around Chris’s hands. Chris dropped the cloak, and Yuuri pulled it tighter around himself, his eyes locked on the crown prince that had fallen in love with nothing more than an idea and a bundle of letters that went unreplied to for over a decade. Had it really been eleven years? Yuuri pressed himself closer to the wall, watching as Viktor descended the remaining stairs to close the distance between them. 

“My god, those eyes….” Viktor whispered, reverent, his own eyes wide and glistening. Yuuri was glad he was wearing his mask, because that gaze made his insides squirm under the scrutiny. “Yuuri, is it really you? You probably don’t remember me, do you?” 

Yuuri stared up into Viktor’s eyes, and suddenly the memory hit him like a brick. Cold ice, a warm hand. A soft bed and a boy that just wanted to be his friend, but was refused the opportunity… and Yuuri never saw him or heard from him again after that warm but embarrassing lunch with his family. It was him, his noble boy. The prince. He couldn’t breathe, frozen to the spot. 

“Why are you wearing a cloak? Are you nervous? I’m sorry, I’m sorry all of this happened to you, this is my fault.” 

“No!” Yuuri gasped. “Never, Your Highness-” Viktor held a hand to his lips, much to Yuuri’s embarrassment. 

“Sh, Yuuri, not so loud. These stairwells carry sound very well, someone could hear us. And call me Viktor, please. We’re friends, aren’t we? I hope we can still be friends.” Yuuri nodded, still staring wide eyed at Viktor and his silver hair. It was shorter than he remembered, he thought. Chris cleared his throat, and they both turned to look at him. 

“Not to break the mood, but Yakov will be looking for you soon, or have you forgotten? Back to the banquet with you, then.” Viktor sighed, and looked at Yuuri, whose face had gotten bright red, Viktor could tell, even with the mask. 

“Sorry! I’m sorry, um-” He drew back, giving poor Yuuri some breathing room. Yuuri blinked again, certain his hands were white under his gloves with how tight he was holding his cloak. “I’ll see you at the banquet, perhaps? It’s less of a formal banquet and more of a buffet, so no one will be sitting, um…” Yakov’s voice at the top of the stairwell made him fall silent. “Sorry, I’ll see you later, then, Yuuri, I should go.” Viktor disappeared out of the stairwell, but paused again, sticking his head back behind the curtain dividing the stairwell from the corridor. “I almost forgot, Yuuri, after we meet up with your sister, I’ll pull you aside, okay? I have a promise to fulfill.” He took off with again, glancing back only for a moment. Yuuri watched him go, only letting the cloak slip off his shoulders once he was certain Viktor was gone. Feeling as though Yakov seemed to have moved on, Chris looked down at Yuuri, who looked shaken and relieved at the same time. 

“Wasn’t what you expected?” 

“N- It’s not that, it’s just…. I… Yeah, a little bit, I don’t know.” He went to run a hand through his hair, but rubbed the back of his neck instead, remembering his slicked back hair. Chris just chuckled, and led Yuuri down the corridor, Otabek following at a short distance. 

“Come on, let’s at least get you some food and see if we can’t fit a dance in before we’re caught.” Yuuri nodded. “Do you at least feel a little more comfortable, now that you’ve met him?” 

“I guess, but I’m still terrified. Terrified of being caught, terrified of Lilia, terrified of people in general?” 

“No one’s going to know it’s you. You look like a fairy, or… or a prince. You’re incredible, and I think you’re going to blow off everyone’s socks, not just Viktor’s.” Yuuri adjusted his mask and looked at the floor. 

“I hope you’re right…” 

“You’re going to be the most beautiful person at the ball, I’m certain of it. Even Viktor, who’s usually the most beautiful, will be drowning in your beauty. Make the best of being the center of attention while you can, Yuuri, you only get to be that person once in a while.” 

“You’re making it worse, Chris,” Yuuri muttered, playing with one of his buttons. 

“Sorry, I’ll shut up, now…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to sing the Angst song! *cackling*
> 
> Yes, both Viktor and his dad had long hair. Mama Nikiforov loved playing with their hair. :( :)
> 
> Also, maybe we'll finally get to meet Yurio in the next chapter!
> 
> And I promise the next chapter will be a little longer!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which Yuuri Katsuki Attends The Ball, and Chaos Ensues.

The ballroom was so bright, it was hard to believe it was lit by candles. Yuuri could have almost convinced himself that he was outside in the daylight. Did it have something to do with mirrors? Light and mirrors. That made sense. Aside from how bright it was, Yuuri could hardly breathe amongst all the perfume and powder all the women wore. Certainly they didn’t think that was charming. Maybe they couldn’t smell it. Maybe it was their corsets fogging their mind until it was immune to the smell, until they were drowning in perfume without realizing. That was it, Yuuri decided. And as much as he wanted to people watch from afar, it was hard not to be noticed due to how sparkly his coat was. He passed a mirror - he had been right about the mirrors, at least; rich people were weird - and nearly blinded himself with one of his buttons.  


“The trick is not looking into the mirrors,” Chris hummed, following along behind him. He offered Yuuri a glass of champagne from a passing serving man, but Yuuri declined.  


“I shouldn’t, I’ve never had any before, and I’d really rather not get drunk.”  


“You’re too tense. One glass shouldn’t hurt. It’s low in alcohol, we made sure of it, so we wouldn’t get drunk if we had to make a quick getaway. Yuuri, we’re here to have fun.”  


“I can have fun without champagne,” he whispers, working very hard to avoid people’s gazes. Viktor must not have spotted him, yet, or if he had, he was pretending not to. He clutched the handkerchief in his pocket tightly, using it as a talisman to give him strength, just as Viktor had suggested in his letter. Suddenly someone tapped his shoulder, and he whipped around, certain that he’d been caught.  


“Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else,” a woman in red and covered with feathers sighed, looking up at what could only be her husband. Yuuri knew that voice.  


“Mari?” He whispered, blinking owlishly. She looked like a completely different person. Well, it was a costume ball, after all. He squinted, trying to get used to the eyesight this mask gave him. Had these been his glasses? He’ll have to ask Yuuko later. Mari lit up when she finally recognized him, and her jaw dropped.  


“Little brother, is that you? My god, you look incredible, I thought you were a noble boy or a prince for a moment!” Yuuri pulled his sister into a hug, feeling much more at ease now. If his own sister couldn’t recognize him, he should be alright for most of the night.  


“So others have told me, how have you been? It feels like forever since our last Sunday visit…”  


“Yuuri, you don’t have to whisper, talk in a normal voice, please, there’s too much chatter and noise for anyone to hear us,” Mari smiled, pulling back to look at him. “But yes, I know, I’m sorry, I’ve been busy with family things, new family things. Did my letters not get through?” Yuuri gasped, shaking his head.  


“What matters? Did something happen?”  


“Yes, you really didn’t get my letters? I wanted you to come up to the estate and meet-” Mari paused, realizing what had happened. Yuuri had caught on a moment before she did. “She doesn’t want you to leave her estate.” Yuuri shook his head. “So she kept the letters from you so you wouldn’t make plans to leave.”  


“No, I’m sorry, I'm sure I would love to meet whoever someday, though.” he murmurs, not quite grasping who her was yet. “Who are we talking about?” Mari smiled.  


“My daughter," she explained. "She was born in the spring last year, and she’s very healthy, and strong, like you were when you were little. You would refuse to let go of my finger, and tug on it all day long,” she remembers fondly. Yuuri pretends not to hear the embarrassing tidbit of information.  


“Oh, Mari, that’s incredible, I’m so sorry I couldn’t come meet her sooner, I would love to, too!” Yuuri pulled her into another hug. “What did you name her?”  


“Hiro, after mother,” Mari smiled, sighing softly, resting her chin on his shoulder. Yuuri fell into a melancholy silence, trying to picture what his baby niece looked like as Mari described her. “She looks like father, though, she got his nose. God, they would love her so much. She got Eugen’s ears, too. And his brown hair.” She shifted her head. “Are you wearing heels or did you grow taller than me in the past year?” She pulls away to look at him. They were usually around the same height, so far as Yuuri remembered, though Mari had always been an inch or two taller. Yuuri blushes softly, not sure how to explain to his sister that he had a fairy godmother.  


“Um, yeah, it’s- a long story. I want to hear more about Hiro, though.”  


They fell into an easy conversation, with Eugen offering stories about once in awhile. Chris, true to his word of keeping Yuuri safe, stayed close by as he scanned the crowd for Viktor or Lilia or Yakov. Across the room, Mila and Sara hung around another table of food, piled high mostly with desserts.  


“I wish Yuuri could have come,” Sara whispers, leaning on a wide pillar, staring out at the masses with a pout on her face. “He deserves time to relax, somewhere where he’s not stuck in his boring old room all day.”  


“At least he gets a break to relax from Lilia, now,” Mila offered, popping an expensive looking bon bon in her mouth. She chews it slowly, then grabs a few more. “Bon bon?” Sara turned away, scanning the sea of people.  


“I’m not hungry. I just want- Wait. Does he look familiar to you?” Sara said, straightening up a bit. Mila looked up from her bon bons.  


“Who? I don’t see anyone I recognize, there are too many masks.” Mila tried to follow her sister’s gaze, but came up with nothing.  


“There, in the coat of arms! That knight over there, I think he’s a knight.” Sara pointed, her finger falling on a familiar face, though she couldn’t place it. “I’m going to go talk to him!” She stepped forward to do exactly that, but Mila grabbed her arm.  


“Wait, you can’t just waltz up to one of the royal knights, someone might think you’re up to something or something.”  


“What could a girl in a gazillion petticoats do to a fully trained knight? Distract him, maybe, but what’s the harm in that? Everyone is having fun, nothing bad could happen at a ball.”  


“Sara-”  


“Bup bup! I’m the eldest, aren’t I? I’m going to talk to him~” Sara sing-songed, and danced out of Mila’s reach with a puff of her hair and a swing of her skirt. Mila watched with fascinated dread, finishing her bon bons like they would ease her panic. They were really good bon bons.  


As Sara got closer to the mysterious knight, she took off her mask, sliding it up onto her head. If she payed close enough attention to his eyes, she could almost fancy that they were siblings. That wasn’t possible, though, she didn’t have a brother…. Did she? A foggy memory of letters sent back and forth suddenly stopping abruptly came to mind. Or was she remembering wrong?  


“Excuse me, I was wondering if you might help me with something, Sir Knight,” she articulated, offering a sweeping curtsy, missing how the knight’s eyes widened slightly.  


“Sara? Is that you?” Sara froze, looking up at her mystery knight. She knew that face, those eyes. “It’s me, Michele.” Realization dawned in her eyes, as well, recognizing her twin immediately. How had she not realized before?  


“Michele. Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in forever, you’re so tall! Who am I kidding, you were always tall! Come here!” She launched herself into Michele’s arms, who accepted her with a tight hug.  


“I’m sorry I stopped sending letters, I should have made more of an effort to deliver them, I should have-”  


“Let’s talk about that later.” Sara slips out of the hug to look up at him. “Are you busy? I want you to come meet Mila, did I tell you about her? I don’t remember if I did.”  


“Um- yeah, I’m supposed to be on watch, but maybe we can talk while I keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour? Sara, I hope I haven’t upset you-”  


“Later,” Sara said again. “I don’t want to be angry with you right now, even though I should be. For now let’s just be happy.”  


Mila watched with anxious interest, still glued to the dessert table. How were they so familiar with each other? What if someone saw and assumed the worst? Afraid her big sister was about to do something inexplicably stupid, she hurries over to them, ready to save her sister’s squeaky clean reputation.  


“-So I really shouldn’t mingle too much, Sara, but I promise to send you more letters.”  


“To hell with letters, I might just ask mother if I can move to the palace so we can spend more time together!”  


“Sara-” Mila cleared her throat, making her presence known. Sara whipped around, hand still tight on Michele’s arm.  


“Mila! You remember me telling you about Michele, right?” Mila’s eyes narrowed, ready to protect her cinnamon roll sister.  


“You mean the Michele that dropped contact with you and caused you to close yourself in your room for a week? That Michele?” Michele opened his mouth to protest, but Sara beat him to it.  


“That was during the epidemic, remember? We couldn’t send letters because there was no one to send them-”  


“And you thought he was dead-”  


“I couldn’t leave the castle, otherwise I would absolutely have gone home to make sure Sara was alright.” Sara clung to Michele in the middle of the tension, watching Mila with wide eyes. Mila narrowed her eyes at Michele, studying the knight carefully. She could definitely see the resemblance… “Who are you, anyway, to be so protective of my sister?”  


“Me?” Mila frowned deeper. “I’m her sister.”  


“I mentioned her, didn’t I?” Sara looks up at Michele, who has now put Mila under the microscope. “I told you so many things about our baby sister, I must have.”  


“I remember a thing or two. I didn’t expect her hair to be so…”  


“Beautiful? Yes, I get that a lot.”  


“I was going to say bright, it hurts my eyes,” Michele replied. Sara stifles a laugh and elbows her brother. “It’s like staring into a fire.”  


“Yeah, you two are related, I can definitely see it now,” Mila scowled.  


“He didn’t mean it in a bad way, Mila, come, join us, I want to spend time with Michele. Please?” Sara remained wrapped around Michele’s arm, as Michele took the opportunity to scan over the heads of the sea of people. Mila pursed her lips and turned to find what he was staring at, but found nothing.  


“He seems busy, Sara, we should leave him alone for now.”  


“But- I haven’t seen him for forever… Mickey, can I help be a lookout? I promise I’ll be good, please?” Wrapping her arms around Michele’s neck, she let herself become a limp ragdoll, hanging like a sloth in a tree. Mila stifled a laugh. It looked like a ridiculous painting. Michele could clearly hold her weight, too, she marveled.  


“Sara, don’t do that, you might pull him over.”  


“No, I can hold her,” Michele sighed, holding her up with an arm so if she slips he could catch her. “You can stay, I just don’t want you to become a distraction, Sara.” Righting her with gentle hands, he gestured to a spot on the wall next to him. “Mila, you can stay too, if you like.” Mila shakes her head.  


“You don’t need two distractions. Maybe I’ll toss a bon bon at you if there’s trouble. I’ll be at the dessert table.”  


“I don’t want you to be alone,” Sara called, reaching out to pull Mila to her side. “My two favorite people, together at last,” she grinned, linking hands with both of them. Michele and Mila exchanged a glance before Michele turned back to the crowd. Mila allowed herself to relax in the corner, glad to keep her sister company. And her brother. God, this was weird; she had a brother, now. She could process what that meant, later. For now she could let herself have fun.  


While all of this was happening, Viktor lurked behind a tapestry, in an alcove where another service stairwell had opened up. The ball was just on the other side of the thick wool, the sound of people having fun and dancing and eating muffled to his ears.  


On the other side of the tapestry, he knew there was a throne for him to sit in if he wanted it, and behind it was the balcony where his father was sitting. Footsteps sounded above him, where the balcony was, and he kept silent, listening to the hushed voices. Unable to hear them, he shifted the bottom of the tapestry slightly with his foot, curious as to what they were saying.  


“-thought that was him, just now,” a gruff voice whispered. Yakov.  


“No, I left him at the estate, I told you this. It’s impossible for him to be here, either way.” Lilia. Were they talking about Yuuri? Viktor held his breath. He had no reason to worry, he knew, but it still managed to heighten his concern.  


“So you did send him?”  


“Yes. Even if he gets caught, he’ll have no connection to me.”  


“Good, now we might finally get Viktor to focus and-” Viktor let the tapestry relax, Yakov’s voice muffled once again. Hugging himself tightly, he forced the thought of what might have happened if Yuuri hadn’t been rescued by Chris out of his mind, ready to focus on having fun. He hopes Yakov will realize that Viktor would not have let them get away with hurting Yuuri. Hopefully whatever luck he had didn’t run out too soon. Adjusting his mask and straightening his costume- one specifically made so that Yakov and Lilia wouldn’t have recognized him if they tried -and turned around to find another entrance to the ball. If he appeared at the throne, people would know it was him, and his cover would be blown. He wants to get to know Yuuri in peace of mind that no one will recognize him except for Yuuri.  


He entered the room through a door close to the kitchens entrance, blending into the crowd with a tip of his hat, adorned with a single jewel and a single, sharp blue feather. He scanned the crowd, a plastic smile on his face beneath his dusty pink mask. He was dressed as a pirate, and who would guess that the prince would dress as a pirate? Not Yakov. A real smile made his cheek twitch. Sweeping a glass of champagne from a passing server, he scanned the crowd for Christophe, whose mask absolutely stood out, almost as much as his bright blonde hair. He spotted him after some searching, across the room, his heart leaping. Yuuri was so close. Viktor wanted to dance, he was so happy. He was about to finally spend the evening with Yuuri. He’d planned it so perfectly, so so perfectly. Now that he thought about it, the plan he had in mind was almost too perfect. Why had he decided to make the plan in the first place? Simply to spite Yakov? That was half of it. He really had wanted to be friends with Yuuri. He still did. Those beautiful, sparkling eyes… He couldn’t get them out of his mind.  


He blinked, pulling himself out of his thoughts. He couldn’t get distracted. He had to focus. For now, he recalled, he was to blend in, dance with a few other people, making his way to Chris as he went. By now, Chris would have spotted him. By now Yakov would have gotten impatient waiting for Viktor to appear, and sent someone to find him, and when they couldn’t find him, it would open up the perfect distraction to lead Yuuri and Mari away from the ball. That sounded way too ominous. He hoped Yuuri wouldn’t think him creepy. He didn’t want to be creepy.  


Just as he was nearing Yuuri, an uproar began near the throne.  


“What do you mean, missing?! The Prince doesn’t just ‘go missing’!” The music cut out, and people started staring. Viktor paused, looking up at his father, who seemed to be panicking to Viktor, from what he could see from here. He made a mental note to give his poor father a heartfelt apology later. For now, he had to get Yuuri out of the ballroom. The distraction he needed was happening faster than he thought. Hadn’t they needed to check the entire castle? He reached Chris and the others finally, and was met with concerned whispers and a silently panicking Yuuri, it seemed. Chris was doing his best to calm them all down, when Viktor appeared, tipping his hat.  


“See, here he is, now,” Chris whispered, trusting the murmurs of the crowd and the yelling on the balcony to distract from their group.  


“I’m here, yes, and we don’t have much time,” Viktor breathed, looking over at Yuuri, who turned around sharply, brown eyes wide with concern and surprise. Viktor almost forgot to hurry at the sight of Yuuri’s coat, looking him up and down. “You look beautiful…” Yuuri seemed to break from his daze, only to look at Mari, who was staring at Viktor.  


“What are you wearing?” she asked simply, answered by Chris, who was now, decidedly, the one in command now that Viktor had lost the ability of focus as soon as he saw Yuuri.  


“He’s dressed as a pirate, so no one will recognize him,” he explained, snapping his fingers in front of Viktor’s face. “We thought we might fit the visit in before we had to make a quick getaway, right, captain?”  


“Hm? Yes…” Viktor looked at Chris, then back at Yuuri. “Yes, yes, um. I wanted to fit in a dance, first, but it seems they didn’t at least try to comb the entire castle, which is what I was expecting to happen before they notified Yakov. I’ll be bringing you to my esteemed guest’s room, and I’ll need to leave you to change my clothes so that they’ll be able to find me and lead me to the ball, where I’ll find you again. Now let’s go, before they discover us too soon.” Jumping into action, he reached out to offer his hands to Mari and Yuuri, who exchanged another wary glance before accepting the invitation. Mari kept her gaze on Yuuri as they were lead from the room, Eugen and Chris following close behind. “Yuuri, you do look incredible,” Viktor said again, falling into step between Yuuri and Mari. Yuuri nodded, adjusting his mask. They reached a corridor outside the ballroom, not stopping until they reached a service stairwell. Yakov knew about them, sure, but he didn’t know what stairwells Viktor favored. They had to be quick if they didn’t want to be caught; which they didn’t. This would be easier if there weren’t so many people.  


“I hope you remember what I said, captain,” Mari breathed, Chris’s impromptu nickname for Viktor seeming to catch on for the moment. Viktor blushed under his mask, and Yuuri’s grip on his hand seemed to tighten in embarrassment. Viktor squeezed back in reassurance.  


“Is this too much for you, Yuuri?” Yuuri didn’t respond, glancing up at Viktor. Was he upset? No, he didn’t want Yuuri to be upset. “What’s wrong? Is something wrong?” They stopped before continuing up the stairs, which were narrow and steep, and Yuuri looked up them warily. He wasn’t afraid of small spaces, but for the moment, being in such close quarters with so many people wasn’t very ideal for him.  


“You haven’t said where we’re going yet,” Mari pointed out, taking Yuuri’s other hand. Yuuri squeezed it and let go of Viktor’s in favor of the comfort of his sister. “Bustling us along without a proper explanation can be very stressful.”  


“That’s not it,” Yuuri whispered, though he knew that was half of it. He’d already been almost whisked away against his will, he didn’t need the stress of it for real from someone he was supposed to trust. He did want to trust the prince; he was supposed to have saved his life, hadn’t he? But Chris had saved his life, too, and Mari, and Vicchan. But Chris wasn’t as sheltered as Viktor seemed to be, and Mari understood his problems. “You… I… I don’t know how to say this without offending, but I don’t exactly…. Trust you yet.”  


“So it is me dragging you across the castle without warning,” Viktor asked, blinking with confusion. “I’m sorry, I-”  


“No, it’s not just that, but it is part of it, I think? It’s also because, well…. You’re the prince, and… And you orchestrated a rescue mission that I didn’t ask for-”  


“That you did need-”  


“Not my point, Mari,” Yuuri coughed, feeling better now that he had started talking. Now the only thing was getting himself to stop. “What I mean is-”  


“You need to slow down,” Chris offers, giving Viktor a look. Viktor returned it with a stoic expression, not quite sure how to process his emotions.  


“Um. Yeah, that.”  


“I just want to help-”  


“And I’m very grateful, I just… sometimes I need space, and forcing me to accept your help isn’t helping.”  


“And you can start by letting him make his own decisions.” Mari said, poking Viktor’s shoulder. “You may be a prince, but if you want to make friends you have to consider what they want.”  


“Thank you,” Chris exclaims, catching Viktor off guard. “I mean you’ve learned pretty well my ins and outs, but everyone is different. You don’t know Yuuri, you never got the chance to know him.” Yuuri gazed at Viktor with big eyes, fixing his mask again. He always fidgets with his glasses when he’s nervous.  


“I apologize for my forwardness, then,” Viktor says quietly, bowing as deep as he could in the small space. Yuuri pushes his mask into his face, his logic being that the mask would dissolve into his face and he wouldn’t ever blush ever again. “I’ll explain on the way, please, I don’t have much time.”  


“Wait, you can tell us now,” Yuuri says, stopping Viktor before he could pull them along again. He wasn’t used to being assertive, Viktor assumed, and waited obediently, which only flustered Yuuri more. He wasn’t used to people actually listening to him, either, perhaps. “Please… um… tell us where you’re taking us.” Viktor nodded, licking his lips.  


“I… was going to wait until you had somewhere to sit down, but… I suppose if you’re more comfortable with knowing now, then…” The group grew silent in anticipation. Viktor could hardly stand the tension. “Chris, you-”  


“No, you tell him, this was all your idea.”  


“But what if-”  


“Get on with it!” Mari and Eugen interrupt.  


“Viktor found your father,” Chris explains, and Viktor nibbles his lip. Another pregnant silence follows. “He wanted to surprise you, and he couldn’t tell you over a letter in case Yakov or Lilia intercepted the letters. Considering the circumstances, we judged that it was unsafe for him to return to Lilia’s estate, so we brought him here for recovery. That’s where we were taking you.”  


“What happened to him?” Yuuri whispered, his face horror stricken.  


“That was at least… four years ago?”  


“Five,” Yuuri recalls, pulling his coat tighter around himself. “You knew our father was alive for five years, and you didn’t think to try and tell us in some form at all?” He felt betrayed, sickened.  


“I tried, I really did, Yuuri. But we suspected that Lilia was behind his disappearance, and I didn’t want you to get hurt, too.” Viktor reached for him, but Yuuri edged away from him. “Yuuri, I’m sorry. Do you want to go see him? We can go see him. If I had brought him home to you….”  


“You could have sent him to the Karpisek estate!” Yuuri spat, and Mari gripped his shoulders tightly. “He would have been safe there-”  


“I couldn’t leave the castle! If Yakov had noticed either me or Chris had disappeared for more than a day so that I could make absolutely sure your father would have gotten there safely, you may well have never been able to escape Lilia. I did consider bringing him to the Karpisek estate, I considered notifying you. But since you never replied to my letters, I had assumed that Lilia or Yakov was intercepting my letters. Every move I made was in the interest of your safety.”  


“What if I didn’t want your help, what then?” Yuuri shot back. Viktor couldn’t reply. Chris stepped between them before something happened that couldn’t be taken back.  


“Let’s talk about this later. We should keep going.”  


“Let’s… I only have so long before they start to panic and the ball ends in favor of my safety,” Viktor sighed, starting up the stairs. “Let me show you to Toshiya’s room. I may have told him you were coming tonight and promised to reunite you… I hope you can forgive me from keeping this from you.” Yuuri didn’t respond, only started up the stairs behind him, passing him moments later. “Yuuri, you don’t know where you’re going.”  


“You can lead me without being in front of me,” Yuuri replied, following Chris instead. Mari passed Viktor with a pat to his shoulder.  


“I understand you wanted to help, but you did have that bird.”  


“I didn’t get Mirin until later.”  


“You still could have tried to send her anyway.”  


“It took so long to train that bird,” Viktor murmured miserably, dropping his face into his hands. “I really did want to help…. I’m sorry…” He watched them climb the stairs ahead of him, fixing his mask and hat as he followed. Chris knew where to take them, he knew. “Chris, can you handle taking them? I have to lead our pursuers away… I’ll meet up with you later. Eugen, do you mind coming with me?”  


“I’d rather stay with my wife…” Eugen murmurs, looking to Mari.  


“Go… We’ll be faster if we split up,” Chris whispers back at them. “Also Yakov would kill me if I left him alone for even a second… He won’t question anything if he finds him talking to you.”  


“It’s fine, Eugen, you can go. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Mari says, holding her skirt up as she climbs the stairs. They reach the top, and Chris peeks out to check the corridor before leading the group across the hall. Viktor waves Eugen down the hall and speed walks down to the next corridor, making sure his boots don’t click on the floor. With a wary look at his wife, Eugen follows, and Chris waves Yuuri and Mari into a nearby room. He watches as Viktor and Eugen disappear up another service stairwell, and closes them all in the room.  
Yuuri, still upset, sits on a nearby chair, filled with conflicted emotions. “I can’t believe this, I can’t believe him. I wanted to be able to trust him…” He took his mask off to cover his face with his hands, trying to wipe the stress from his cheeks. “It took him five years to tell us…” Mari sat next to him to rub his back.  


“With good reason,” Chris said, picking lint off of his jacket. “He’s driving himself mad trying to keep you safe. When he found out about the census after the epidemic, he damn near killed himself trying to get to the inn. I think that’s when they really started buckling down on him. Most of the staff still believes it was a suicide attempt, as he was still mourning his mother and wouldn’t leave his room. Of course, ever since they put him on house arrest, he’d gotten even more depressed… So I managed to sneak him out one day, cause I thought, maybe if he went to visit you, then he could have peace of mind. But then it only renewed his efforts to get to you, and soon I ended up on house arrest, too. And I didn’t even live here. He really does care about you, Yuuri, or at least he wants to care about you. I think it’s become less of a ‘I want to keep him safe’ and more of a ‘fuck you’ to Yakov, but he still insists it’s all for you.”  


“This was a mistake,” Yuuri mutters. “I shouldn’t have come. I should have sent a letter along with you, saying I was sick…. Or- or….”  


“If you had stayed at that estate you would have surely been killed,” Chris reminds him, to which Yuuri pales, and Mari looks up at Chris in shock.  


“What do you mean?”  


“Lilia sent an assassin to her house to kidnap Yuuri, so Viktor wouldn’t be able to see him. Yakov had threatened Yuuri’s life just this morning, and Viktor got paranoid and sent me to check on Yuuri to see if anything was wrong. He was very lucky that I came, then. I had to wait for Lilia to leave the estate. It was terribly tedious, but incredibly worth it to go. I couldn’t have walked away if I wanted to, anyway, I had this gut feeling that you would have skinned me alive if I had let something happen to Yuuri, Lady Mari.”  


“Something along those lines,” Mari replied, still gaping at the two of them. “Yuuri, why didn’t you tell me?”  


“It didn’t seem important. I thought they told you, they didn’t?”  


“No, they didn’t.”  


“Everything that happened, happened, and Yuuri is safe, now. Like I said, neither me nor Viktor will ever let anything happen to Yuuri.”  


“I feel sick,” Yuuri breathes, standing to go to a window. “I need air, I’m tipsy and upset and I can’t breathe. I want my dog and my bed and my family and none of this to have ever happened!” He leans out the open window, willing everything away into the cold breeze outside, his eyes shut tight. He waits what seems like an hour but nothing happens. Opening his eyes, he sees a garden down below, filled with budding plants that still are struggling through a late dusting of frost. A figure with silver hair emerges from the castle below, followed by a darker haired figure. Viktor and Eugen. They had been gone barely two minutes, but they were already in the gardens.  


Yuuri watches silently, letting his heart slow as he watches the serene way the two of them looped through a maze. Not moments later, a servant came running out, calling Viktor’s name. The shout was lost on the breeze to Yuuri, but Viktor seemed unfazed, except for when a very angry Yakov appeared, who proceeded to box the prince over the head. He deserved that, Yuuri thought, watching stoically as Viktor and Eugen followed the procession of servants inside.  


A hand on his shoulder pulls him out of his trance, and he looks up to find Chris behind him. Yuuri looked back down at the garden without a word.  


“We should go see your father before we have to head back to the ball,” Chris breathes, and Yuuri heard Mari join them at the window. “Once they get back to the ball, they’ll be wondering where I am, next.”  


“You didn’t have to do all this,” Yuuri murmurs. “I would have been perfectly fine with a regular old Cinderella story.”  


“You expect a regular Cinderella story when your name’s not even ‘Ella?’” Chris joked, trying to lighten the mood.  


“I am wearing a coat made of cinders, and I have a prince vying after me even after one night that was forever ago, what should I expect?” Yuuri asked, not lifting his head from the window.  


“Well not sanity, I suppose. Maybe your fairy godmother will meet us at the Karpisek estate.” Yuuri sighed, forcing himself to stand up.  


“Well, let’s not keep father waiting any longer. Five years is long enough to wait,” Mari smiled sadly, offering her hand to Yuuri, who took it gratefully. Chris, satisfied that they could be on their way, lead them through another service door to a room that Yuuri hadn’t recalled seeing a door to in the hallway. Perhaps it had been covered by a tapestry.  


“He didn’t stay here all the time, did he?” Yuuri asked, looking around the room. He hadn’t gotten a very good look at the previous room they had been in, but assuming that had been an antechamber, this must have been the bedroom. It was incredibly lavish, even for a prince, and Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder just how his father had spent his time in the two rooms without missing their little cottage apartment above the inn.  


Bold reds and golds and subdued greens laced their way across the walls, and fringed lampshades sat on crystalline oil lamps on either side of the poster bed, which was also clothed in a deep red. He felt like he was watching someone else live this from some far away place, because this didn’t seem real to him.  


“Is this bed at all comfortable?” Yuuri wonders, stepping up to it. “I don’t think I could sleep in it, it looks so expensive…” Chris chuckles, leaning on the door frame where they had come in. Mari was inspecting a bookshelf far taller than herself. Yuuri turned to inspect more of the room, book shelves and chairs and drapery all so overwhelming, and he only stopped when a stout man in another doorway caught his eye. He stopped, and Mari turned to look, too.  


He was grayer, Yuuri thought, and his glasses looked new. Even though he had left his mask- which was incidentally his glasses- in the other room, he instantly recognized the soft, warm face of his father, dressed in a sharp looking doublet and a pleasantly surprised expression.  


“Yuuri… Is that you? And Mari?”  


“Father,” Yuuri gasped in relief, nearly tripping over himself to pull Toshiya into a hug. Mari was right behind him, and their long lost father pulled them both into a tight bear hug.  


“Oh, my children,” Toshiya sighed, kissing both of their foreheads just as if they were small again. “I thought I’d never see you again, my love, my life…. Oh, you both have grown so much in the past few years.” Yuuri fought tears as he held fast to Toshiya’s side, and he could feel Mari’s shoulders shaking with the same dilemma. Why, of all people did Viktor choose him to save? If Yuuri had just stayed to play with the other kids like he should have…. Maybe…. Maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Maybe they’d still live in the inn and they would have been happy and Viktor wouldn’t have saved him on the lake, and Lilia wouldn’t have gotten mad at Viktor, and Chris wouldn’t have brought him letters… But there was a whole other level to that wonder. He didn’t want to think about that, now.  


He let the tears go, all the effort of keeping them in more painful than letting them go. Clinging to his family, reunited at last, his anger subsided into relief and joy and confusion. He wanted the moment to last, wanted to stay like this, but he knew it couldn’t have lasted long.  


“Don’t cry, no, Yuuri, Mari, if you cry, then I’ll cry, and then nothing will get done,” Toshiya laughed, kissing both their foreheads again. Mari and Yuuri laughed along with him, content to stay in their father’s embrace. “How are you? Are you well? How does Vicchan fare?”  


Yuuri laughed, wiping his eyes. Toshiya had always loved Vicchan. Everyone loves Vicchan. Except for Lillia, of course…  


“He’s fine,” Yuuri sighed, straightening his coat. “He’s fine for now. How are you? What happened? Why- Why did-”  


“Are you okay? You weren’t terribly bored were you? We missed you-”  


“Alright, okay, let me sit down, before you interrogate me, I’ve been climbing stairs all day and my leg needs rest,” Toshiya sighed, leading his children to the armchair next to the bed, where Yuuri and Mari sat as close to Toshiya as possible. “I missed you, too, and I wished I could have contacted you sooner, or gone home to you, at least. But Lilia…. I don’t think Lilia would take kindly to me returning to the estate, and I didn’t have the energy or strength to travel to Mari’s new home. I think she divided us on purpose.”  


“What could she possibly have to gain from that, though? We thought you were dead, the whole town thinks that….” Mari whispered.  


“I think it has to do with the old King,” Toshiya muttered. “I’ve been reading on old history books that I found buried in the library upstairs, they’re old, and look as though they were saved from a fire. I was only a child when it happened, so I don’t really remember what happened, but something tells me that Lilia is trying to seek revenge on someone.”  


“Who?” Even Chris was intrigued, and sat on the bed with Yuuri and Mari.  


“What books?”  


“They’re mostly handwritten, but they recount the rule of King Baronovskya, possibly Lilia’s father. There’s a lot of long winded politics in the middle, a few pages are missing, and then the Nikiforov rule starts abruptly on the next page. I’ve been trying to solve this mystery for a few years, but it seems to me, the current king’s father overthrew Lilia’s father, and Lilia’s only now become strong enough to seek her revenge.”  


“And she tried to kill you because,” Chris began, gesturing to Yuuri. Yuuri’s eyes widened.  


“She’s trying to weaken Viktor through me,” Yuuri murmured.  


“You’re the only thing Viktor’s really passionate about, and if she gets rid of you, then she can easily get rid of Viktor, and take back the crown from his father,” Chris frowns.  


“But no one really remembers the Baronovskya rule anymore, it’s been so long,” Toshiya sighed. “She’ll be tried with treason if she fails.”  


“And if she succeeds… What then? Does she have a game plan for if she succeeds?” Yuuri asked no one in particular. It was almost too much to process and think about in such a short amount of time. Lilia tried to kill his father because she wanted to usurp the crown?  


“I don’t think she’s really thought that far,” Mari mutters. “If she wanted to, she could have killed Yuuri or Viktor years ago, and grew to power, then. She’s still grasping for a plan of action. If she succeeds, the kingdom could fall into chaos.”  


“If she’s the rightful princess of the Baronovskya empire, she could very easily take the throne once the Nikiforov’s die, but I don’t know if she’ll gather a following as quickly as the Nikiforov’s did. His following is too great, she’d be usurped within a week,” Toshiya said, massaging his hands. “Besides, Viktor’s been blessed by the fairies anyway, there’s no way she could have killed him earlier. She’d have to break his spirit, first.”  


“Wait, what? What do you mean blessed by the fairies,” Yuuri frowned, thinking of Yuuko, who was currently taking care of Vicchan at the moment.  


“His mother, the queen, was a highly renowned fairy in her realm. She was something of a hero to them, though there was never any mention of it in the books I read. I tried to read more of it, but the next book that I found in the series was hiding alcohol for some reason.” Chris immediately tried to hide his guilty blush, rubbing the back of his neck.  


“So you’re telling me, the crown prince is a fairy?” Yuuri asked, incredulous. He looked at Chris, who seemed to be the same amount of bewildered.  


“Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t even know about this, and I’m his best friend!”  


“He’s half fae, which sort of explains the hair thing…” Toshiya corrected. Yuuri nodded, running a hand through his slicked back hair. God, this was confusing.  


“You still haven’t told us about yourself, though,” Mari nudged, not wanting to talk about Viktor anymore. Yuuri was still conflicted, maybe more so than before. Could he do something about the possible treason that Lilia has been trying to commit? Is it treason if she’s trying to usurp her usurpers? He barely listened as Toshiya spoke with Mari.  


“Yuuri, are you okay?” Chris whispered, but to Yuuri it sounded like he was underwater, where everything was muffled, as he tried to figure out what he should do. Viktor was trying to save Yuuri, but in the process he was inadvertently trying to save himself. Yuuri had to cooperate, otherwise he’d be seen as a traitor to the crown, as well, even though he was one of the ones being targeted, too. He had the chance to save the crown from old revenge with possibly no endgame. Viktor wasn’t the object of Lilia’s revenge, but he would definitely be a casualty if Yuuri didn’t at least try to help Viktor help himself.  


He didn’t want to be selfish, but he was still angry at Viktor, wasn’t he? Viktor had gone to the trouble of trying to save Yuuri’s family for no other reason than he wanted Yuuri safe. But in the process of trying to help Yuuri, he’d accidentally put him in danger of being killed or kidnapped, without realizing what he was trying to save Yuuri from. Now, if Yuuri left, he was going to be the one that broke Viktor, to the point that Lilia would be successful in her plan. He didn’t want to let Lilia win, not now. But if he stayed...  


“Yuuri, can you hear me?”  


“We have to help Viktor,” Yuuri whispered. “I really don’t want to look at him right now, but if I leave now, Lilia wins. Viktor doesn’t deserve unhappiness just as much as I do, he’s just trying to be a good friend, right?”  


“That’s how this all began, isn’t it?” Chris offered a melancholy smile. “I became his friend because our families were close, and I was the only one around he could become friends with. He wanted to make friends like a regular kid would, by going out and having fun with other kids his age. But he had to prepare to become something he didn’t want to be, and so he rebelled. You were the first kid he met that he thought, hey, I want to protect this. He just wanted a friend, Yuuri, and his superiors didn’t think it was worth his while. ‘Focus,’ they said. ‘Concentrate on your studies.’ They wouldn’t even let him hang out with me…” Chris shrugged, and Yuuri thought he saw his mouth twitch like he was holding back tears. “It was breaking my heart, just watching him struggle. I want to give him what he wants; a friend. But he doesn’t want just me, even though I did my best to be there for him. Yuuri, please, if you find it in your heart to forgive him, be his friend. That’s all he ever wanted.”  


The room was silent for a long while, or what felt like it to Yuuri. Looking at his hands, he knew that’s what he always wanted, too. He could have found it in Phichit, or Guang Hong, or Leo… But he wasn’t allowed the chance. They were close to it when the inn was still open, but Yuuri always felt like they were friends with him out of pity, out of obligation. If they do manage to save Viktor, maybe…. Just maybe, Yuuri might add a few more people to Viktor’s list of possible friends. That is, if Yuuri wanted to let himself forgive Viktor. Right now, looking at his father, he knew that he wouldn’t be here without Viktor, whether it was an accident, fate, or simply just dumb luck, but he wasn’t about to let Lilia win.  


“I’ll try…” Yuuri muttered, and stood. Chris smiled, standing with him. “I won’t make any promises, though.” He looked back at Toshiya, who gestured for his hand. Yuuri gave it to him, and knelt beside him.  


“Viktor is a good man, Yuuri. He’s strong, and smart, and caring… I say this not only because he saved my life, but because he brought me back to my children, though it took a regrettably long while. He did try, Yuuri, he thought of every possible way to bring me back to you. He’s very headstrong, once he’s got an idea in his head, and I think he’d make a fine king if he put his mind to it.”  


“But if he doesn’t want to be king…”  


“He might change his mind if he knows what Lilia is up to, and quite possibly if he has you by his side. Please, I don’t want to see what Lilia has in store for her enemies if she comes to power. I don’t mean to put so much responsibility on your shoulders, Yuuri, but if you can, please save Viktor. Save the kingdom from Lilia. Revenge has poisoned her mind. I shouldn’t have taken her proposition, I should have seen-”  


“No one can change the past, Papa,” Mari whispered, resting a hand on his arm. “We’re here now, and as long as we can learn from our mistakes, we can hope for a better future.”  


“Let’s just hope we can let Viktor know about Lilia before midnight, Yuuri has a pumpkin to catch.”  


“I actually don’t,” Yuuri balked, blushing. “Like I said, I’m not Cinderella, I’m not even Ella, remember?”  


“What does that mean?”  


“Never mind, Papa,” Yuuri mumbled, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. “I have to go save the crown prince. I’ll see you later.” He got up to leave. “Mari, are you coming?”  


“I think I’ll stay here and help father pack, we have a long journey ahead of us, and I’m not leaving without him.”  


“What journey?”  


“You’re going with them to the Karpisek estate after the ball, if things go well. If not, we’re leaving as soon as possible,” Chris explained. “I have to lead Yuuri back to the ball, we’ll be back.” Yuuri gave Toshiya and his sister one last hug before leaving the room, grabbing his mask on the way out the antechamber. “Are you going to be okay?”  


“I’ll be fine, now let’s go find Viktor.”  


Viktor was currently sitting in his appointed throne, looking absolutely bored as he watched the ball proceed, and the eligible ladies dance. He didn’t want to watch the eligible ladies dance, as pretty as it was. He’d rather be dancing with Yuuri. Yuuri. He hoped Yuuri was okay.  


He had had to change out of his pirate costume, unfortunately, but he had packed it away in his travel bag for a disguise if they had to go on the run. Now he was wearing a pink and magenta coat, one that he realised too late, strangely matched Yuuri’s costume. He didn’t have time to contemplate the coincidence, however, as he spotted Chris and Yuuri across the room. Once again, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the beautiful blue coat that sparkled in the candle light. Viktor decided he was wrong. Though Yuuri’s costume was structured similarly to Viktor’s, it was nothing like his at all. From afar, it was far more beautiful and eye catching.  


Standing from his throne, Viktor watched as the crowd parted and a path lined up between them, a connection between Yuuri and Viktor’s throne. He could feel the crowd’s eyes as he stepped down from his pedestal and swept across the room to hold him close-  


“-Your Highness,” a voice said sharply, wrenching Viktor from his daydream. He looked up and frowned at the speaker, and frowned deeper when he saw it was Yakov.  


“What do you want,” Viktor muttered, still reclined comfortably with his leg up on the arm of the throne as his sipped his second glass of champagne since he sat down.  


“I want to talk to you before you must begin dancing with the patrons,” Yakov replied. “And sit like a gentleman, you’re supposed to be setting a good example of your maturity and grace.”  


“Fuck off, don’ want to talk to you.” Viktor finished off his glass of champagne, and leaned his head on his fist. “And I don’t want to dance with anyone. There are no eligible bachelors here.”  


“This ball wasn’t arranged so you could marry a man, this ball was arranged so you could marry a woman. You need to father an heir.”  


“I was reading about this thing that the Greeks did, in the library yesterday. It’s called adoption and designation. I think I’ll do that, make that a thing here. That way I can marry any man I want and still father an heir. So go shove your rules up your ass and leave me alone.” Viktor sat up and flagged down another glass of champagne. Yakov growled under his breath and waved the waiter away.  


“You can’t marry a man, it’s against tradition.”  


“What tradition, Yakov? Are you afraid I might die without fathering an heir? Are you afraid of my sexuality? Are you afraid that no one will take me seriously because I’m gay? Well guess what, I don’t want to be your king, I’m only here because you won’t get your head out of your own ass long enough to consider that you might be ruining my life. Let me make my own decisions. You’re the king’s advisor, not mine. Chris is my advisor, and my best friend. Who, might I add, is also a flaming homosexual, might I add, in case you didn’t notice. So like I said before; fuck. Off. And leave me alone.” He swung his leg back over the arm of the throne, half hoping he might accidentally kick Yakov in the stomach by accident, but he didn’t, and Yakov only slapped him upside the head again.  


“With all due respect, Your Highness, you’re a royal pain, and you need to remain sober at social functions.” Yakov stalked away, and Viktor rubbed at his temples.  


“Pleasure doing business with you,” he breathed, closing his eyes. “And I’m tipsy, but you’re half right. I need to focus. Focussss.”  


“Viktor.”  


“I said no- Oh, it’s just you.” Chris stood over him, now, and Viktor sat up.  


“You looked tipsy, so I brought you some water,” Chris smiles, offering a glass of water and sitting on the arm of the throne. Viktor nodded his thanks, and leaned back on the chair. Chris leaned his elbow on Viktor’s shoulder, pretending to look out at the crowd to help Viktor find a bride. “Our little bird should be coming in soon,” he whispers, to which Viktor twitched, slowly processing that he meant Yuuri. “Don’t be surprised if he’s a little bolder, I gave him a few tips on holding up a disguise and owning it till the end. Don’t overwhelm him, okay? I’d bet if he gets uncomfortable, he could get recognized,” Chris whispers. “Down the rest of your drink if you understand, because the only way this is going to work is if you both cooperate with each other.” Viktor finishes his water, and hands Chris his glass.  


“Is he still mad at me?” Viktor breathes, his eyes sweeping the crowd. The blonde shrugs and sweeps his hand out over the crowd, to which Viktor laughs softly. He knew Chris was putting on an act, and why he might be doing it; he could feel Lilia’s eyes burning into the back of his neck.  


“That’s a question for him not me. Now act like I said something absolutely hilarious.” They laughed, and Chris swung off Viktor’s chair as they drew attention to themselves.  


“And get me another glass of water, if you please,” Viktor added, rather loudly, so Lilia and Yakov could hear from behind him.  


“You’ll tell her I said that, won’t you?” Chris replied, starting down the steps of the raised dais.  


“Absolutely,” Viktor promised, winking at the few girls at the front of the crowd, who giggled brightly. Not many people knew that Viktor preferred men over women, so that would at least buy him a distraction at some point, if he needed it. Perhaps he could gather a large throng of girls to ambush Yakov. How would he do it, though?  


While Viktor was plotting, on the other side of the room, Yuuri was practicing the script Chris had given him. He was to walk up to Viktor, bow, and then ask for a dance, for certainly a Prince knows how to dance, yes? He was supposed to say. He was supposed to be loud, flirty, use a sexy voice- good god, it was a good thing he had a mask - and be overall confident in his actions. From the sound of his heartbeat, his anxiety didn’t exactly like this idea. Neither did Yuuri. But he had to tell Viktor somehow…. And this was Chris’s best idea. To draw attention to himself in order to draw attention away from himself. For god sakes, Chris had even given him a name- Bastian Nikolov. Yuuri didn’t particularly like the name, but maybe- just maybe, it might work.  


He downed another glass of champagne for a boost of confidence, and straightened his mask and coat. God, please give him the strength to be the center of attention. Or at least the luck of anonymity… He cleared his throat, and shouldered his way to the dias where Viktor sat. There were people everywhere, and most of them created a path for him, if only to get a glimpse of his coat. The path wasn’t very helpful once he got to the bottom of the dais however, because Viktor had succeeded in surrounding himself in giggling girls.  


“-And that is how I found Makkachin,” he smiled, and the girls sighed, dreamy looks on their faces. Yuuri almost felt jealous- almost. When Yuuri stepped closer, all the girls looked at him with something akin to apathy, until they saw his coat.  


“That’s that guy, from before,” one murmured to the other.  


“He’s gorgeous…” another breathed. Viktor breathed a sigh of a relief to see Yuuri again, and almost pushed the girls away just to get to him. But he didn’t have to, as Yuuri had already come close enough to offer his hand.  


“His Highness, Prince Viktor,” Yuuri began, bowing deeply, and the murmurs in the room fell to a low hum. “I would like to formally invite you to dance with me, if it pleases His Highness. For certainly, a man as beautiful as yourself knows how to dance?” He straightens, and holds out his hand, one foot on the bottom step of the dais. “Even the most beautiful flowers don’t balk at the breeze, so would you do me the absolute honor of being my dance partner?” Looking Viktor in the eye, Yuuri held his ground, hoping it would be enough. Yuuri Katsuki would never be this daring. But Bastian Nikolov could be. Viktor’s jaw dropped, and many of the girls surrounding him tittered quietly.  


“Nonsense,” one of the girls spoke up, and Viktor and Yuuri both turned to look at her. In fact, everyone looked at her. “The prince would never dance with a man, especially one so gaudily dressed. Your coat hurts my eyes, and so does your presence.” Viktor turned back to Yuuri, who was struggling for a comeback, as the girl swept in between them. “Dance with me, Your Highness, please? I’m much better than… that.” Yuuri almost faltered, but Viktor caught his slack, absolutely disgusted that such a selfish woman found him attractive. He smiled a crocodile smile, to which the girl in front of him replied with an uncomfortable expression.  


“You’re right, I would never dance with someone with such bad taste.” And with that, he gestured for the young woman to step aside, and smiled even brighter as he took Yuuri’s hand. “I would love to dance with such a kind and articulate gentleman, however. Might I ask your name?”  


“Bastian, My Prince,” Yuuri smiled, regaining his composure, despite the strange name. He bowed again, brushing Viktor’s knuckles to his lips. “I hope you can forgive my forwardness.”  


“I must confess, I’m more than pleased to dance with such a handsome man. Shall we?” Yuuri forced a smile, leading Viktor out onto the dance floor, where the astonished company gave them more space to dance. Yuuri could see Viktor’s eyes glittering, and knew that Viktor’s delight was real. His heart skipped a beat just at Viktor’s smile, and he had to remind himself that he was still very angry at him. Yes, very angry.  


“I hope you realize I’m still upset with you,” Yuuri whispered, bowing to his partner, as was customary. Viktor bowed with him, and the orchestra in the corner of the room picked up a jaunty waltz. “But I must relay a message from my father.”  


“I assumed as much,” Viktor sighed, making it seem as though he were letting Yuuri take the lead in the dance. “Wait, from your father?” Yuuri nodded slightly, his eyes on their joined hands as they danced, incredibly aware of the people watching them. Viktor didn’t seem to mind as much. “What did he say?”  


“Well, he’s been browsing your library apparently, and found some old histories that he’s been trying to connect together. He almost couldn’t finish researching what he wanted to because there was a bottle of liquor hidden in one of the books.” Yuuri looked at him pointedly, to which Viktor pressed his lips together to try and hide his mirth. “Were they your bottles?”  


“That’s a story for another time,” Viktor grinned, unable to hold in his laughter. “Which history books? Not the ones of the Nikiforov family line?”  


“Yes, actually,” Yuuri muttered, rolling his eyes. Of course the prince was a drunk partier. All the rumors seemed to be true.  


“Don’t look at me like that,” Viktor pouted. “I don’t like getting drunk off that stuff.”  


“Oh? So why were there three glasses of champagne at the foot of your throne?” A brief accusatory silence stretched between them, and Viktor pressed his lips together again.  


“Nevermind, what was it your father wanted to tell me?” Yuuri bit back a sigh, focusing on his footwork so he wouldn’t trip over Viktor’s feet by accident. At least Lilia had tried to teach him some ballroom dancing. “Yu-” A panicked glance from Yuuri made him pause again, as if he were afraid his name would blow their cover. “Bastian- I mean- Was it that important?”  


“Yes, actually,” Yuuri murmured, licking his lips. “He found a book where there were several pages missing, a book that started with the Baronovskya line and ended with the Nikiforov line. He thinks Lilia is trying to weaken the crown in order to fight for her rightful place as Queen.” Viktor almost stopped dancing, but Yuuri swept him along, only tripping once as he fell into step with the music. “Don’t stop dancing, you idiot,” Yuuri gasped, and Viktor raised an eyebrow. “Nevermind, just keep dancing.”  


“But Lilia-”  


“It makes sense, doesn’t it?”  


“Kind of? But I don’t want to be king, anyway, so then all she has to do is-”  


“No, she’d have to kill your father in order to claim the throne. I think. I don’t know how politics work. But she can’t kill your father until she’s gotten rid of the heirs. Right now, you’re the only eligible heir.” He let Viktor think about this for a moment, as the prince guided them into a spin.  


“There is my cousin, but he’s too young to claim the throne as of yet,” Viktor breathed. “I just thought if I left, then maybe they’d make him king…”  


“But if he’s not an heir, she won’t focus on him right now,” Yuuri whispered, looking up at Viktor. He seemed conflicted. “Don’t forget to look like you’re having fun,” he reminded, forcing another smile. Viktor attempted a small smile as well, speaking through it.  


“She could have killed me years ago if she wanted to get rid of me in order to get the throne,” he said, glancing up at Lilia and Yakov, who were speaking among themselves up on the balcony. He glanced at his father, who seemed a mixture of pleased and utterly embarrassed. He offered a reassuring smile to him, which the King responded to with a wary smile back. “In fact, she could have killed my father ten times over,” Viktor added, turning back to Yuuri, who was following his gaze. “Why is this important now?”  


“Have you noticed Lilia trying to do anything to hurt you at all recently?” Yuuri inquired pointedly, raising an eyebrow.  


“No, she’s only been trying to break you,” Viktor muttered, unable to keep the frown from his lips. “But you aren’t part of the royal family, what does she-” Yuuri blinked up at him, and Viktor realized his mistake. “God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize-”  


“No one realized,” Yuuri murmured, averting his gaze. “My father believes she’s trying to break your spirits enough so she can kill you. Because it’s rather hard to kill a fairy, isn’t it?”  


“A- what?” They stopped dancing, and Yuuri panicked, then tried to make it look like they were still dancing by spinning them around and leaning Viktor into a dip. He almost thought he saw Viktor’s ears turn a shade of red, but he pushed the thought aside.  


“You didn’t know that your mother was a fairy?”  


“I don’t know- maybe? I just thought it was our little inside joke, I didn’t think she was an actual fairy!” Yuuri righted them, and they continued dancing, and Viktor mimicked Yuuri’s dance moves, unaware that Yuuri was totally winging it.  


“So you didn’t know that you’re half fairy,” Yuuri asked, from the dip Viktor lowered him into.  


“I told you, I didn’t.”  


“Then how did you end up justifying the fact that you’ve been grey since you were a child?”  


“I- don’t- know?” Viktor righted him, and they fell into step with the music again.  


“Well according to my father, your mother was apparently a very famous fairy. I guess they wanted to keep that a secret….”  


“What, that I was born a halfling?” Viktor asked, and Yuuri snorted. “What?”  


“A halfling is like a hobbit, not a half fairy, half human. If you were a halfling, you’d be the same height as a small child. And you’re not a changeling, either, as far as I can tell. Changelings are fairy children left in place of a human child, and they’re nothing like the original person.” Viktor smiled fondly at him, and Yuuri looked away.  


“Why are you looking at me like that?”  


“You’re cute when you talk about things you’re passionate about.”  


“Who said I was passionate about things like that?”  


“Who said you weren’t?”  


“Stop changing the subject.”  


“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  


“Stop looking at me like that, I’m supposed to be mad at you.”  


“Yuuri’s supposed to be mad at me. Bastian was just sharing with me what a changeling was, do go on.”  


“Oh, shut up,” Yuuri laughed, hiding his face. Viktor laughed, too, despite the fact that his demise was just brought up in the same breath as his lineage. They continued to dance in awkward silence, and Yuuri wasn’t sure what to talk about next. Perhaps a plan of action? Or why he was upset with him. But Viktor seemed lost in thought, when Yuuri looked up at him next, so he ended up just admiring his porcelain features, despite the fact that he was, actually, still upset with him. What was he upset about, again?  


In the balcony above Viktor’s throne, Lilia and Yakov watched the pair of them with intrigue and confusion. Lilia was certain she recognized Bastian from somewhere, and Yakov was about ready to internally combust from the embarrassment of the prince dancing with a man instead of a woman, at a ball meant for him to find a suitable woman to marry.  


“Does Bastian look familiar to you?” Lilia breathed, not wanting to capture the King’s attention, as he seemed to be absolutely enthralled in the dancing. True, their foot work was almost flawless, but that was only because Viktor would rather dance than study his arithmetic.  


“No, why?” Yakov frowned bitterly, sipping a glass of wine. He glanced at Lilia out of the corner of his eye, busy hating the fact that this wine was good and that he had to enjoy it while the crown prince made a fool of himself in front of the entire kingdom, in Yakov’s personal opinion.  


“The way he stands… I can’t put my finger on it, I’ll have to get a closer look.”  


“What exactly makes him familiar? He stands out so much, I’ll have a headache from all that sparkly shit on his coat later.”  


“You always have a headache,” Lilia scoffs, sipping her own glass of wine. “And it’s definitely not the coat…”  


“Did you happen to notice that the trim and the epaulettes look exactly like the one on Viktor’s coat?” Yakov muttered, staring daggers into the dancing couple’s backs. “They’re almost the exactly the same coat, except for the sparkly shit.”  


“Stop saying ‘sparkly shit,’ it’s undignified, and it makes me want to vomit. But yes, I definitely see what you’re getting at.”  


“Maybe he’s a fairy.”  


“Don’t be ridiculous.”  


“How else do you explain that coat?”  


“Are you drunk?”  


“I am not, I’m respectably tipsy, and it’s all Viktor’s fault.” Lilia rolled her eyes and took Yakov’s glass of wine, and poured the rest of it into her glass, handing the now empty glass to a nearby waiter.  


“Get him some water, and bring me some fruit, thank you,” Lilia requests, sitting on a bench to rest her feet as the server starts down the stairs. She goes back to staring down the dancing pair from her perch.  


“I’ve got it!” Yakov gasps, sitting next to her. “That man dancing with Viktor-”  


“If you say he’s a fairy again, I’m pushing you down the stairs.”  


“No, I don’t think his name is Bastian,” Yakov whispers, pointing at Yuuri. “Look at him. Look at how close they are. That’s got to be Christophe.”  


“Christophe is blonde. And taller.”  


“It’s obviously a wig,” Yakov insists, pointing at Yuuri’s hair. Lilia slaps his hand out of the air, and get’s a closer look.  


“That is not Christophe Giacometti. Christophe is over there, with my girls and Michele.” Lilia points to an alcove across the way, where Sara and Mila and Michele were deep in conversation with Chris. Lilia and Yakov shared a glance.  


“It can’t be,” Yakov breathes.  


“It isn’t,” Lilia insists, though she was starting to have her doubts. The music ended just then, and they looked up just in time to see Viktor and Yuuri bowing to each other as the surrounding guests break out into applause. The pianist in the orchestra takes over for the rest of the company as they get up for a brief reprieve, and the crowd begins to mingle again, but Lilia never takes her eyes off of ‘Bastian’.  


Suddenly Yuuri trips, as he leads Viktor back to the throne, and his mask comes askew when Viktor catches him. Lilia gasps, and looks at Yakov, who saw it, too. It was only a brief glimpse of his face, but Lilia would always recognize Yuuri.  


“Lilia, not now- there are too many people!” Yakov protests, as Lilia hurries down the stairs to the dias. Viktor’s father stands from his throne, caught up in the moment of ‘My son found his happiness,’ not sure what to do as Lilia stalks towards Viktor and Yuuri. Viktor freezes on the spot and replaces Yuuri’s mask, then ducks them away into the crowd.  


“Run,” he whispers, pushing him toward an exit.  


“What?” Yuuri splutters, not sure what was happening. He straightens his mask, and looks up at Viktor.  


“She’s recognized you, go, now! There’s a service stairway just outside that will lead to our travel gear, now go, I’ll catch up. Christophe will meet you there.”  


“Guards! Guards, stop that man!”  


“But what about you?”  


“I’ve been planning for this all day, now run! Go!” Yuuri did, and Viktor watched him, ducking into the crowd and crashing into an unsuspecting server, tumbling to the ground. Screams and breaking glass almost made him pause to see what was going on, but Yuuri didn’t stop, only ran as fast as he can.  


“The Prince!”  


“Someone call a doctor!”  


“He’s not moving!”  


“Stop that man!”  


Chaos erupted in the ballroom, and Yuuri could barely see anything as he ran down the corridor, and was yanked into a service stairway by rough hands. He struggled, only to be silenced by the fuzzy figures of Chris and Eugen. He’d lost his mask somewhere in the chaos, and he was certain he’d be scolded at some point for it; those had been his glasses, after all.  


“What the fuck?” Yuuri whispered, screaming internally. “What happened? Where’s Viktor? We’re supposed to be saving him, not leaving him behind!”  


“Yuuri, relax, he’s fine, and I thought you were supposed to be angry with him?”  


“I’m allowed to be upset with him and concerned that he disappeared at the same time!” Yuuri exploded, and Chris shushed him again as heavy footsteps flew past.

“Search every nook and cranny, you hear me! No one leaves until Yuuri Katsuki is found and arrested for the attempted murder of Prince Viktor Nikiforov!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They escape, but are they safe? Nonsense ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha it feels like a year but actually it's not, just a semester. Here's chapter 7 i guess

Yuuri shriveled deeper into the shadows, almost hyperventilating. Chris and Eugen gave him some space, and watched as he sank to the floor.

“I should have stayed in bed today,” he groaned, shaking with how upset he was.  


“You know that you would have-”  


“I know I would have died if I stayed at home, you don’t have to keep reminding me!” Yuuri snapped, hugging himself tight. “I hope Vicchan is okay….”  


“I’m here,” Mari gasped, hurrying up the stairs. She had changed into a less eye catching outfit, consisting of cotton pants and a heavy cloak. Yuuri looked up at her and wiped the tears from his cheek. “Oh, don’t cry, Yuuri, it’s going to be okay,” she breathed, sitting next to him and holding him tight. Yuuri shook his head and burrowed his face into her neck.  


“I just want to take a nap,” he hiccupped. “It’s too much, Mari, I just want to sleep until this is all over.”  


“I know, Yuuri, but it’ll be okay, I know it will be. Chin up, please? We have a long journey home.”  


“Speaking of, we should leave soon,” Chris said, kneeling beside them. “Come on, we’ll keep you safe. We’ll have a trusted knight with us to keep us out of danger, and an armed driver. Our carriage will be unmarked, and we’ll be at the Karpisek estate in no time, just you wait.”  


“But Viktor-” Yuuri began, looking up from Mari’s shoulder.  


“He’s fine, he’ll meet us downstairs.”  


“They said he’s hurt, we have to go back for him-”  


“It’s just a ruse, Yuuri, he’s fine,” Chris assured, pulling Yuuri to his feet. “Besides, they’re combing the castle for you, by the time they realize we’ve fled, we’ll be miles away.” Yuuri nodded and stood, and helped Mari to her feet. “Are you ready to go, then?”  


“No, but I don’t think I have any choice not to be ready,” Yuuri sniffles, clinging to Mari as they start down the stairs. Chris and Eugen trailed not far behind. Toshiya was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for them, along with a knight, whose face Yuuri couldn’t see due to the cloak over his face. Yuuri decided he’d better put his cloak back on, too, and went back to the stairwell to find it in the baskets of food and clothes at the base of the stairs.  


“Are we all here?” Chris asked, standing back to get a good look at the group. “Eugen, Mari, Yuuri, Toshiya, Otabek, Emil, who’ll be our driver, me, and Viktor, who... isn’t here yet…”  


“Should we wait for Viktor?” Otabek speaks up from under his cloak, and Chris nods.  


“He’s why we’re here, isn’t he?” he replies, bending to collect one of the baskets of clothes and food. “Here, everyone who is able, carry a basket; there are four of them, and we need to store them on the carriage. Yuuri, are you helping?” Yuuri shook his head and clung to Mari instead.  


“I’ll help,” Toshiya offered, coming to take a basket. “I may be old, but I can still help with some lifting.” Otabek and Eugen came to collect a basket, and Chris gestured down the corridor.  


“We should have some time before they complete their search of the castle, this time, but we still need to hurry,” Chris said, adjusting the basket in his arms. “Yuuri, Mari, can you handle staying here to wait for Viktor? He should be coming soon.” Mari nodded, adjusting her hood. Yuuri did the same, fidgeting with the thick fabric of his own cloak. “Alright, I’ll come back here if you don’t appear outside in less than ten minutes,” the blonde promised, turning to lead the others away.  


“I’ll try and compose myself,” Yuuri muttered, still trying to quiet his sniffles. “Mari, you wouldn’t happen to have a clean handkerchief, would you? The one I have wasn’t really meant to be a handkerchief….” Mari nodded, offering one out of her sleeve.  


“You can keep it, just keep it in your cloak pocket, so you don’t ruin your coat. It’d be a shame to ruin such a beautiful coat.” Yuuri took the handkerchief to dry his face, and leaned against a nearby wall to wait for Viktor. People kept saying how beautiful the coat was, and it was starting to get annoying.  


“I actually don’t think I could get this coat dirty if I tried, it was repaired with magic. My… fairy godmother helped me get ready for the ball.”  


“What, Minako helped you? That was nice of her.” Mari leaned on the wall next to him, holding his hand. Yuuri smiled.  


“No, my fairy godmother, Yuuko, though Minako did help a little. Yuuko’s taking care of Vicchan right now, she’s supposed to meet us at the Karpisek estate with him if… when something goes wrong. I just hope she has some way of knowing… I hope Vicchan’s okay. I miss him already…”  


“I’m sure Vicchan is fine,” Mari breathed, reaching up to comb a hand through Yuuri’s mussed hair. “You’ll see him again, soon…”  


“I hope so…”  


“You will. Now, blow your nose, you’re going to be sharing close quarters with a lot of people, and we don’t need anyone getting sick right now.”  


“You sound like mom, right now…”  


“That’s because I am a mom,” she reminded gently. Yuuri laughed softly, and leaned his head on Mari’s shoulder.  


“When can I change my shoes? Because these hurt like hell,” he grimaced, lifting his foot to show off his bejeweled shoe. Mari chuckled.  


“Did your fairy godmother give you those, too?”  


“Yes, and magical or not, they’re painful. How are you supposed to wear heels comfortably?”  


“You’re not, you just wear them and hope you don’t get blisters,” Mari grinned, poking Yuuri’s cheek.  


“Apparently,” Yuuri sighed, dropping his foot back to the floor. Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the way opposite than the one Chris had gone, and Yuuri and Mari tensed, hiding in the shadows.  


Viktor appeared moments later, having also changed clothes, or at least, taken off his costume coat and put on a heavy cloak instead. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, and a large dog was slung over his shoulders like a shawl, happily enjoying the ride. Yuuri relaxed only slightly as Mari stepped away from the wall.  


“Where is everybody?” Viktor asked, turning to Mari, a simple grey hat hiding his hair.  


“They went outside to start loading the carriage, where have you been?”  


“They took me to my room, I was playing dead,” he replied, as if it were no big deal. “Where’s Yuuri?”  


“I’m here,” Yuuri whispered, stepping closer to pinch Viktor’s arm.  


“Ow!- Yuuri, that hurt-”  


“Good, you deserved it. I wanted to slap you, but I didn’t want you to drop your dog. Why are you bringing him, anyway?”  


“He gets antsy when he’s lonely, and I don’t want him to cause any trouble,” Viktor answered simply. “He also makes a great bed warmer, so that’s an added bonus.” Yuuri rolled his eyes, but he understood what Viktor meant. “Isn’t that right, Makkachin?” Makkachin panted softly. Apparently he liked being carried like this; he could see everything from atop Viktor’s shoulders.  


“We should go,” Mari reminded them, gesturing down the corridor. “We have three days of travel ahead and a lot of people to transport. Viktor nodded and took the lead, falling into step next to Yuuri.  


“Why do you want to slap me?” Viktor whispered.  


“Because-” Yuuri stuttered, gripping the folds of his cloak. “Because of a lot of reasons.”  


“Is it because I made you leave me behind?” Upon seeing Yuuri blush, Viktor didn’t know whether to smile or feel guilty. “I’m sorry, I had to distract them away from you. If there was a thick enough crowd, Lilia wouldn’t have been able to get to you.”  


“Yeah, well, now the entire kingdom is after my head, all because of your little stunt. I actually thought you’d been hurt, just now, you know?” Yuuri sniffled, wishing he had his dog to hold. He felt Makkachin sniffling at his head, and reached up to stroke the dog’s neck gratefully, avoiding Viktor’s eyes. “Are you sure he’s comfortable like that?” Yuuri wondered, letting Makkachin kiss his forehead.  


“Of course, I carry him around like this all the time. He likes the view. Also it’s relaxing for him, because he gets his share of close contact, and since I keep him secure on my shoulders like this, it builds trust between us and I know he won’t run away even if I don’t use a lead.” Yuuri nodded. He wished he could try that with Vicchan, now, but Vicchan is too small, and wouldn’t get much of a view… He was also kind of glad he didn’t slap Viktor, now, simply for the safety of the precious bean that was wrapped around his shoulders.  


“I have a puppy, too,” Yuuri muttered, glad they could talk about dogs instead of their current situation. “I have someone bringing him to the Karpisek estate, so you should be able to meet him when we get there… I don’t know what I’d do if something bad happened to him…” He gazed into Makkachin’s eyes as he stroked the dog’s ear, his heart wrenching at the thought of Vicchan. He wanted his puppy… Viktor could see the longing in Yuuri’s eyes, and wanted to reach out for him, hold him tight until a smile returned to that pretty face. But he didn’t, reminding himself that Yuuri was still upset with him, and that he had to wait for Yuuri to come to him. He didn’t want to push Yuuri away.  


“I really am sorry, Yuuri,” he breathed, stopping before a door at the end of the corridor. “I hope I can be a better friend to you in the coming days. Whatever you need, I’ll be there for you, I promise. Just tell me what you want me to be to you, and I’ll be it.” Yuuri didn’t reply, and turned to Mari, who scoffed and opened the door to see if they had a clear path to the carriage. “Yuuri?”  


“I don’t know right now,” Yuuri sighed, letting his hand fall to his side. “Ask me again when I’m not angry with you.” Taken aback, Viktor watched Yuuri retreat out the open door with Mari. He followed moments later, and lead them to the carriage, keeping to the shadows just in case someone looked out a window and saw them.  


By now, Viktor assumed, they were panicking because the prince’s body has disappeared, and the search should double in intensity. He didn’t think he ever felt this tense in his life. He didn’t think he’d ever felt this free. Viktor Nikiforov is dead, he rejoiced, upon seeing the carriage and Chris waiting beside it. Moments later, he realized it might be hard to return to power in order to keep Lilia from the throne, once they regrouped and returned home, but that was a problem for another day. Lilia knew he wasn’t dead. Lilia would be combing the countryside for them in a matter of hours. But first, he smiled, they had to get the party guests back home. Rumor would spread that the Prince is dead, and… Oh. Oh, he’d made a terrible mistake.  


Chris took Makkachin from his shoulders and put him in the carriage, where the others sat waiting, and Yuuri and Mari climbed inside with him. Viktor hung behind, pressing his forehead to the cool exterior of the carriage.  


“I’ve made a huge mistake, Chris,” he muttered. “The entire kingdom will believe me dead within a day.” Chris nodded, pulling Viktor’s hood over his head.  


“You have royally fucked up, yes, but hey, you got your freedom, however temporary.”  


“Sure. But Lilia still knows I’m alive, she knows how full of shit I am.”  


“Yes, yes, but let’s lament about all of this on the way, okay? I’m not risking my ass for your safety just so we can get caught on our way out. Now come on, in the carriage with you.” Viktor did as he was told, sitting in the corner, saving room for Chris in between him and Eugen, who was letting Mari and Yuuri sit on either side of Toshiya. Chris climbed in after him, and closed the door firmly before rapping on the roof of the carriage. With a lurch, they were off, Otabek and Emil in disguise in the driver’s seat. 

 

Yuuri avoided eye contact with everybody, instead staring down at Makkachin, who was happily lounging at their feet. Viktor stared out the slit of the curtains in the window, watching the castle recede from view behind them. The company sat in silence as they started down the road without incident, though still tense with the knowledge that they could be caught at any moment. Toshiya held his children’s hands tightly, to which Yuuri responded to gratefully with a tight squeeze in return. Mari let her head lay on Toshiya’s shoulder, her feet propped up in her husband’s lap comfortably. Eugen didn’t seem to mind, and Toshiya pretended not to notice; There would be plenty of time for those kind of questions later.  


Chris sat awkwardly in between it all, all too aware that there was an uncomfortable silence between multiple people, so he pretended to sleep.  


This continued until Otabek announced through the driver’s window that they had cleared the city limits and were now passing through the countryside to the next town. There was a collective sigh of relief, and it was then that Viktor chanced a glance at Yuuri, only to see that he had fallen asleep, his head against his father’s shoulder. Viktor watched him for a few moments, then decided he ought to sleep as well, leaning against the side of the carriage to try and fall asleep. Even with the pillowed wall, he couldn’t get comfortable, unaccustomed to long carriage rides. Eventually, Chris got tired of his squirming and let Viktor lay his head on his shoulder, needing a comfortable pillow, as well. Mari watched them, bored and wishing she had thought to grab her book from her small trunk, which was currently strapped to the back of the carriage, along with their other necessities.  


“How long until we reach an inn?” She asks Chris softly, who was practically cradling the sleeping prince in his arms. Toshiya was asleep beside her, as well, leaning comfortably against the back of his seat. Eugen was beginning to nod off, as well, drawing little patterns into Mari’s ankle with his finger.  


“Most likely not until morning,” Chris replied, his arm draped around Viktor’s shoulders. “Though by then, it may just be a matter of letting our driver and our knight rest before we have to depart again, meaning we may need to rent rooms for the day anyway, just so we don’t need to hide from anyone that finds us when we get there.”  


“Yuuri still needs to change out of his formal wear, anyway, so renting a room would be a good plan. Then we can buy him more comfortable clothes at the market, if there is one.”  


“We packed extra changes of clothes, just in case, but if it comes that, be sure to keep your hoods up in case of pursuers.”  


“It’s strange how much you actually thought this through,” Mari observed, cocking her head.  


“Yeah, Viktor’s had way too much time to think about his escape from the castle… He inadvertently saved his own ass from being killed, too, so I suppose that makes my job a little easier…”  


“I feel like it’s a little weird that Viktor’s been planning all this for years,” Eugen spoke up, his head now on Chris’s shoulder. “They barely know each other, and on top of that, Yuuri barely remembers Viktor taking him in…” He yawns, getting as comfortable as he can as Chris and Mari stare at him in silence. “I mean, I know Viktor’s a romantic and all that but he should tone it down a bit…. I feel like he may be trying a little too hard…”  


“Is it possible that maybe… just maybe, he’s doing all of this for himself?” Mari whispers. “He seems a little bitter… Just a little bit. It’s generous of him to think of Yuuri, as it seems like Yuuri’s life is hanging by a thread due to Lilia’s bloodlust to kill Viktor, but it’s almost as though… I don’t know… It’s not fate...”  


“Fate?” Chris laughed. “I guess at the beginning it may have seemed that way, but honestly… I think it’s more of a god damn wild goose chase at this point.” He looked over at Yuuri, who was currently drooling on his father’s shoulder. “Well, at least that’s what I had thought before... It’s almost a special ops mission, now… A long strategic plan to save the princess from the tower before it collapses around her…”  


“He had to have known something…” Mari breathed, thinking aloud as she watched Viktor sleep on Chris’s shoulder. “It had to have been something intuitive…”  


“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too….”  


“Magic?”  


“Maybe.”  


“Sorcery?”  


“Viktor can’t even balance a book on his nose, it’s not sorcery.”  


“It’s cause he’s a fairy, then,” Mari concluded. “Could Yuuri be his changeling? Or… something like it? I don’t know much about fairy tales, but Yuuri seemed a little more shy after he was brought home… A little more careful.” Chris stared at her for a moment, then had to stifle his laughter in his hand before he woke everyone up.  


“No, no, if Yuuri was a changeling, then there would be a Yuuri at the castle and a Yuuri at your inn. I don’t think Viktor’s that kind of fairy… More of a pixie, I think. A nature sprite, that looks after any creature it comes across. He’s kind, and careful… He wouldn’t do something like trade away a fairy friend for a human one. If that were the case, he would have turned me into Yuuri somehow and then popped me into your house instead. But then, I think you would have known if something was up, because changelings are usually infants? And I’m no Yuuri. I think if Yuuri hadn’t been there at that exact time that Viktor found him… There would have been three lives lost to the lake that night… Yuuri, Viktor, and Makkachin… Maybe they would have been born as guardians of the forest, and we wouldn’t have to worry about their problems…” There was a brief moment of silence between them, where Chris looked off into a corner of the carriage dramatically and Mari stared at him, trying to decide if he was serious or not.  


“Don’t be so insensitive,” Mari scoffed. But he was right… Would Viktor have been swallowed up by the lake if Yuuri hadn’t reached the other side? What if... Who was she kidding? Yuuri should have paid more attention. Viktor shouldn’t have let Makkachin get loose. “And anyway, as I was saying-” A loud crack rumbled through the wood which they were currently riding, and Mari stopped mid-sentence. “-What was that?” She paused, listening.  


“What was what?” Chris asked, frowning. Mari waved at him to shut up. A shout sounded from the distance, and Chris leaned over to peek through the curtains to see what was going on. The carriage shook as it came to a screeching halt, the horses outside dancing restlessly. The passengers were tossed out of their seats, and while the others toppled into each other’s laps, and a startled Makkachin barked his concerns from the floor, Yuuri was jolted into the hard carriage door.  


“Oh my god!” Viktor cried, his sleep addled brain fearing Yuuri would fall out of the carriage, though that was less than possible. He shot forward to help him, anyway, and Chris watched with mild interest, busy helping Toshiya back in his seat. “Yuuri, are you okay?”  


“Is he okay?” Mari asked, pulling Eugen up from the floor. Makkachin curled up into a ball at Viktor’s feet, only slightly traumatized, but otherwise okay. “He had always been a heavy sleeper, but I didn’t think even he could sleep through something like that... Yuuri, are you still alive?”  


“I…He looks okay...” Viktor breathes, gently laying a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder to see if he was okay. “I think he’s still asleep... Yuuri, can you hear- ow!”  


Yuuri had jolted awake, accidentally knocking their heads together as he sat up. Startled and disoriented, and now in pain, he curled into his own lap, his hands over his head. Viktor held his head, too, the sudden contact having woken him right up.  


“Vik, you alright, there?” Chris snorted, reaching up to touch his head. Viktor ducked away from him, leaning closer to Yuuri, who frowned at him, not quite awake yet. “Earth to feather head, can you hear me? How hard did he hit you?”  


“I’m fine,” Viktor hissed, reaching his hand out to Yuuri. “Hey, are you okay? You hit your head…”  


“I-I’m aware of that,” Yuuri muttered bitterly, pushing his hair back. Viktor felt his heart flutter a little.  


“No, on the door I mean… It sounded like it hurt.” Viktor examined him closely, spotting a small cut that he hadn’t seen before due to Yuuri’s hair. “You’re bleeding.”  


“I am?” Yuuri blinked, looking up at Viktor.  


“He’s bleeding?” Mari demanded, ever the big sister, standing to come examine him. “Where?”  


“Mari, I’m fine,” Yuuri protested, leaning away from all the hands in his face. “It doesn’t hurt that much… And I’m not a baby, you don’t have to coddle me…”  


“Here, I have a clean kerchief in my pocket,” Toshiya offered, pulling a small square of cloth from his coat. Viktor took it and leaned forward, still content with helping Yuuri, who pushed his hands away.  


“I just want to help,” he pouted, letting Yuuri move his hands.  


“I don’t want you to help…” Yuuri muttered, despite the blood welling in the cut on his throbbing forehead. He didn’t want to sit there and wait for his hair to get stuck in the scab, but he didn’t want to be touched right now, either… Sleeping away the world was a much better idea. Viktor glanced helplessly at Yuuri’s pretty forehead, now blemished and bruised. Suddenly, he had an idea.  


“Will you let me try something?”  


“Is that something you sitting back in your seat? I don’t want to be touched right now…”  


“No touching, I promise, okay? I’ve been practicing a little healing magic, will you let me try?” Yuuri cocked his head, still gazing at him defensively.  


“I thought you didn’t know you were a fairy, how have you been learning healing magic?”  


“My mother taught me, I just assumed she was wiccan, or something, but she wouldn’t tell me…” Yuuri averted his eyes, recalling how Lilia threw his coat into the fire… The one Viktor wore back then… It felt silly, being worried about it, now. It felt like that had happened ages ago… He gathered his cloak around him so he wouldn’t have to look at the glitter on his coat. “Will you let me heal you? I don’t want you to be in pain…” Yuuri didn’t look up at him. After a moment, he felt a gentle hand on his arm, and looked up at Toshiya, who was gazing at him gently.  


“He’s a good healer, Yuuri,” he whispered, patting his arm gently. “Don’t look at me like that, I won’t force you to listen to him. Do you want to talk about anything?” Yuuri shook his head, laying his head back on Toshiya’s shoulder. Viktor looked on in interest and disappointment. “Will you let me clean your forehead? It’s starting to drip, and I think it would be a shame to get blood on your pretty coat…” Yuuri didn’t reply, too busy wondering if Yuuko was going to wait till morning to bring Vicchan to the estate or if she was already waiting for them at the Karpisek’s, letting Vicchan run around in the garden and chase birds and mice-  


Makkachin barked, drawing Yuuri from his thoughts. Blearily, he looked down at the brown mass in between him and Viktor, and let the pooch jump up to sniff his face. Yuuri pet the dog gently, only now realizing that he had been crying. Viktor wondered if he could heal him if Yuuri was distracted… But no, something might go wrong if Yuuri moved out of his grasp and barred him from treating him… Viktor nibbled his lip.  


“Yuuri…”  


“I’m sorry, I’m just… stressed,” Yuuri whispered, wiping his tears away. Viktor gave up the handkerchief to him, and Yuuri took it to hide his face into. The others watched on in silence, and Chris finally had mind to check on why they’d stopped, turning to peek through the window behind his head. Viktor sat back into his seat, still watching Yuuri with a concerned expression.  


“Everyone’s stressed, sweetie,” Chris muttered, flinching back from the window when another thunderclap rumbled through the distance. “The horses were spooked because of the incoming storm, Emil says there’s an inn not too far from here...” There was a collective murmur of relief as Chris sat back down.  


“What did I say earlier, Chris,” Mari snapped, pulling Eugen’s legs into her lap once everyone was relatively comfortable again.  


“No, he’s right, I’m sorry,” Yuuri muttered, leaning against the wall of the carriage as it started moving again. “We’ve all had a rough night, can I go back to sleep now?” He held the kerchief to his still bleeding forehead, pulling a leg up onto the seat for added protection, and going back to avoiding eye contact with everybody. Makkachin turned to look at Viktor with a concerned whine. With a sigh, Viktor reached down to stroke his dog’s fur and pulled him onto his lap to comfort him through the storm, wishing he could comfort Yuuri, too.  


The group fell into another uncomfortable silence, that grew even less comfortable once they reached the tavern and had to get out of the carriage in the pouring rain. Thankfully, the innkeeper was just opening up for the morning, and they didn’t have to wait for very long. Makkachin played in a puddle while the carriage was unloaded and the horses were brought to the stables, Viktor keeping a watchful eye on him as Yuuri and Toshiya went with the innkeeper to see what rooms were available.  


“Only three rooms?”  


“But there’s eight of us.” Yuuri and Toshiya stared in mild annoyance at the still barely awake innkeeper, though they tried their best to hide it. It was early, after all; maybe a room would open up.  


“I’m sorry, but that’s what we have at the moment. Would you like some coffee?”  


“Beg pardon, but would there possibly be a room opening up soon?” Toshiya asked patiently. Having been in the business of hospitality for at least a good twenty years did help a little… “We are travel weary, and many of us haven’t had much sleep.”  


“I understand, and my deepest apologies. I’ll be sure to check while I put a pot of coffee on.” The innkeeper smiled a thin smile, and bowed his head. “Feel free to have a seat in the meantime.” With that, the tired old innkeeper left them for the kitchens, taking a thick book with him on the way. Toshiya clucked his tongue, and went to sit at the nearest table. Yuuri sat with him. He’d almost forgotten life in an inn; he hadn’t had much practice of it before Lilia showed up. That felt like almost a hundred years ago, though.  


“Well this is annoying…”  


“Trust me, I’m sure there are plenty of rooms open,” Toshiya whispers across the table at him. “He’s probably trying to stretch his luck and make us pay more because we came in at such an early hour.” Yuuri shrugs, pulling the sodden cloak hood off his head. His cut had scabbed over on the ride over, which only took an hour and a half, at least… He wished he had his glasses.  


“How do you know, though? There could actually be only three rooms open,” Yuuri whispered back. Toshiya smiled, tapping the table. “You haven’t actually done that before, have you?”  


“No, no, but I’ve seen it happen at other inns… Some people are petty that way… And some people are just plain greedy. I wish we could open the hot springs again, is it too much to ask to see if it’s still standing, at least?”  


“No, I’m sorry, papa,” Yuuri murmured, scratching the back of his head. “We… couldn’t keep it open after you disappeared… Not even the Ice Boys could open it back up…” Toshiya sighed, his morning obviously getting worse.  


“That’s such a terrible name.”  


“I know, I still don’t know how it stuck…” Yuuri sighs, laying his head on the table. “I miss how everything used to be… Why the fuck did it have to change so drastically?”  


“Sometimes fate is a funny thing, Yuuri… You never know what it’s going to give you, but you know that someday, it’s bound to be something good.”  


“Fate must hate me, then,” Yuuri sighs, mussing his hair again. He didn’t really need it gelled back anymore, anyway.  
Chris, Eugen and Mari came in with the few bags of clothes that they had brought with them, and set it on the table beside where Yuuri and Toshiya sat, pulling up a chair next to them.  


“Where’s Viktor, Makkachin, and the other two?” Toshiya asked, making room at the table. Yuuri didn’t lift his head, still dramatically draped over the table.  


“Still outside. Viktor’s attempting to dry Makkachin off in the stables before he brings him inside. Emil and Otabek are still trying to calm the horses down. Any luck with the rooms?”  


“Innkeeper says there are only three rooms, Papa begs to differ,” Yuuri groans, still face down on the table.  


“Three rooms? There’s no way we can split that eight ways.”  


“If there were four rooms, we could split it four ways. We could each share a room with someone.”  


“I call dibs with Eugen,” Mari states, grabbing Eugen’s arm.  


“Ditto,” he replies.  


“There’s no dibs if we don’t have rooms yet,” Yuuri reminds everyone.  


“I call Emil,” Chris claims, reclining in his chair. “Viktor either gets Yuuri, Toshiya, or Otabek, I’ve been there, he’s on his own for tonight.”  


“There can’t be any dibs yet,” Yuuri frowns, still not lifting his head.  


“What’s this about dibs?” Viktor asks, entering the room with Makkachin bundled up in a large towel and cradled in his arms. Yuuri grumbles something about a nice dry bed and covers his head with his hands. The innkeeper reappeared at the desk as Viktor sat down, and Chris stood up at the smell of coffee.  


“Ah, I see you have more people,” the innkeeper crooned, pouring Chris a cup of coffee. “You said you wanted how many rooms?”  


“Four as a minimum, it may seem. Is it too much to ask for eight individual rooms?” Chris inquires, sipping his coffee and sliding a couple coins across the counter for it. “By the way, does anyone else want coffee?”  


“Pass,” was the collective reply, although Toshiya did toss Chris a few coins for coffee, if only to stay awake enough to barter for their much deserved hospitality. Chris passed it to the innkeeper for another cup of coffee.  


“I’m afraid that three is the most I can offer for now, young man,” the innkeeper smiled, taking the coffee money. “I don’t think there will be another room opening up for another few hours, at least…” He shrugged, sipping his own coffee. “However, our chef should be waking up soon to clean the stove for breakfast, if you’d like some.” Getting frustrated, Viktor tapped Yuuri’s shoulder gently. Yuuri didn’t move, but did grunt his disinterest.  


“Would you like to hold Makkachin for a moment?” Viktor whispered, and Yuuri did, nearly losing his head he sat up so fast. “Be gentle, you don’t want to drop him,” Viktor laughed, standing up to feel his coin purse as he joined Chris at the desk.  


“Would it be possible to rent the first few rooms now and then the fourth later?” Chris inquired, at least hoping that some of them would sleep before they had to set off again.  


“There won’t be any need for that,” Viktor smiled, spilling a hefty handful of gold coins into an empty cup and counting them onto the counter for the innkeeper to see. “Will you check the books again, my good sir? I hope we can persuade you we mean business with this rather large tip~” The innkeeper’s eyes widened at the full cup of gold, recalling the measly silver coins he had piled in his safe. Viktor’s smile widened as he continued to count out his gold for the man.  


“What the fuck are you doing?” Chris hissed in his ear. “You can’t just toss your money around, you might get us killed!”  


“I know what I’m doing, Chris, will you relax?” Meanwhile, the innkeeper was busy counting the keys in his box, which was quite a few more than just four keys. Chris grit his teeth at the sight, counting a good ten keys in the box, at least. Most of them looked like pairs, but he was certain there was more than four.  


“Ah, would you look at that,” the innkeeper smiled, holding up four fairly identical pairs of keys, shutting his box before Chris could get a better look at it. “I have four free rooms, after all, I apologize for the delay…”  


“Greedy bastard, I told you,” Toshiya whispered to Yuuri, to which Yuuri hid a smile into his hand. Makkachin grinned back at him in his doggy way, and Yuuri had to turn away at the smell.  


“God, Makkachin, what did you roll in?” he breathed, continuing to pet him but pushing the dog’s face away from his face, which only encouraged the dog to give him more kisses.  


“Alright gentlemen, pick your roommate for the morning,” Viktor smiled, turning from the desk and putting the rest of his coins back into his purse, which still sagged at the weight of them, Yuuri marveled. Toshiya looked at Yuuri as Viktor approached the table, offering a hand to Yuuri, fully intending to share a room with him. With a small yawn to hide his embarrassment, he stood and gave Viktor his dog back.  


“I’m going to go change my clothes,” he murmured, wandering over to the pile of bags on the other table, leaving Viktor hanging. Chris hid a smug smile as he handed Yuuri a key, and everyone watched in mild shock at how cold Yuuri could really be as he headed up the stairs to find his room.  


“Well-” Chris announced, breaking the silence. “We’ll let him choose later, then. Anyone else?”  


“I think we should draw straws,” Eugen suggested, leaning his head on Mari’s shoulder.  


“I don’t need to draw straws, I’m fucking tired,” Mari grouched, holding her hand out for a room key. Chris gave it to her without hesitation. “Come on, Eugen, let’s go sleep in a bed.”  


“Fucking finally,” Eugen murmured, following his wife upstairs. Viktor sulked in a corner, cradling his blissfully ignorant puppy.  


“Okay, anyone else? No? Okay, I pick-”  


“Chris, I can’t stand it anymore,” Otabek shouted, storming into the inn. Viktor, Toshiya and Chris turned to look at him. The innkeeper looked about ready to have a heart attack. “That was a fucking eight hour carriage ride, and if I have to spend another minute in Mr. Smiley Face Hippie Man’s presence, I will fucking send him back to the castle in a hat box! A hat box, Chris, he’s driving me that fucking insane.”  


“Woah, I’m sure there’s a non violent solution for this, Otabek-”  


“Otabek, wait up, why’d you run off in such a hurry?” Emil called, hurrying into the inn and closing the door behind him.  


“Please don’t shout, you’ll wake the other guests,” the innkeeper snapped from the safety of his desk.  


“Sorry,” Emil frowned, bringing Otabek his sword. Chris snatched it from him before Otabek could do anything rash. “You left it out in the rain, you don’t want it to rust.”  


“I’ll rust it just fine with your blood, if you get any closer, now stay away from me.” Otabek turned to Chris, pointing to the room keys. “Did we get our rooms?” Chris nodded. “Mr. Katsuki, can we share a room?”  


“Of course, Sir Otabek, your dignity is safe with me,” Toshiya toasts, lifting his cup of coffee.  


“I’ll hang myself from the rafters if I have to share a room with that!” The angry knight gestures to Emil and snatches a room key from Chris before storming upstairs, leaving Toshiya behind.  


“He’s room 5, by the way, Toshiya,” Chris smiles, giving him the other key. Toshiya pockets it and finishes his coffee.  


“Thank you, Christophe, you’re a good man,” he says. Chris turns to Emil, next.  


“This means we can share a room, right Chris? You can tell me stories about Michele! How is he these days?”  


“He’s fine, Emil, but what the fuck did you do to Otabek?”  


“All I did was try to make friendly conversation, I don’t understand why he’s so prickly. He’s probably just tired and grumpy from the long journey.”  


“But what did you say to him, he’s usually so stoic.”  


“Normal things?” Emil offers. “I was just trying to get to know him.”  


“He was asking about Michele’s workout regimen, for fuck’s sake!” Otabek growled from the top of the stairs. Chris snorted, and even Viktor let out a chuckle. “It’s not funny!”  


“Okay, yeah, that too.”  


“You know, if you like Michele so much, you could just ask him out or something.”  


“I’ve tried, but he’s always muttering about his beloved Sara, it’s weird.”  


“You know that’s his sister, right?”  


“He has a sister?” Emil gasps, eyes widening. “Wow, I feel stupid now… I thought that was his long lost love or something, I figured my love would be unrequited. Are you telling me there may be a strong possibility of me and him being together?”  


“Maybe. Either that, or you dream to much, and he’s totally straight,” Chris raises an eyebrow, and gives a pointed look to Viktor, who glared at him.  


“He’s just tired,” Viktor defends, holding Makkachin tighter.  


“You know he’s committing himself to saving your life,” Chris mutters, putting the last three keys onto the table for now. “I don’t think it’s love, more of a returning the favor, thing... Go slower, man, you might end up losing him if you don’t.”  


“This isn’t about winning his love, it’s about bringing him home,” Viktor retorts, sniffling into Makkachin’s damp fur. “But I hear you, yes, I’ll try and be more gentle,” he sighed, losing himself in thoughts of how to make Yuuri more comfortable. So far, their relationship, if you could call it that at all, has been a royal clusterfuck of mistakes, but Viktor promised he’d get Yuuri home safely, anyway, regardless of consequence.  


“In the meantime, should we switch? I’d rather Chris be with Yuuri right now-”  


“Nope, I’m not fighting your battles, Viktor, not this time. For now, I’m protecting Emil from Otabek.” Christophe leaned an arm on Emil’s shoulder, tossing Viktor the matching key to the room Yuuri picked, and pocketed one of the last two. “I don’t want to catch you hanging out at the bar later, no drinks.”  


“But-”  


“No, I know you’ve started stress drinking for real, now don’t make it a habit.”  


“But Chris,” Viktor whined. “He’s never going to let me into the room!”  


“That’s your problem, sweetie, not mine~ Ciao~” Chris disappeared with Emil up the stairs, and Viktor stared miserably at the final room key.  


“Please forgive me, Yuuri,” he sighed, laying his head on the table. Makkachin boofed, licking Viktor’s cheek and trying to snuffle Viktor’s hat out of the way. Scrunching his nose, he pushed Makkachin’s face away. “I’m definitely giving you a proper bath before we go upstairs to nap, Makkachin…” The poodle boofed again, sneezing on Viktor’s hat. “Gee, thanks,” he laughed. The innkeeper glared at him suspiciously, eyeing the dog in his lap with mistrust. “Let me guess, no dogs allowed?”  


“Indeed. I don’t need his smell scaring customers away.”  


“If I give him a bath and you a few more gold pieces, will you let me keep him in my room? I promise he won’t cause trouble.” The innkeeper considered this, then held his hand out for the gold. Viktor stood and shuffled the dog in his arms to reach his purse, dropping five coins into the man’s hand.  


“The tub’s in the shed, I’ll have my son get it for you, since your friends seems to have left you behind for the time being.”  


“Thank you, sir, your hospitality rival’s that of the capital city.” With his inflated ego in step with his greed, the man didn’t question Viktor’s compliment, and disappeared to find his son, who rubbed his eyes blearily as he went to fetch the tin bathtub from the shed outside. Viktor waited patiently, and tipped the boy a few gold coins as well for his trouble. Makkachin sat obediently as Viktor washed him himself, and he was even rewarded with an abundance of belly rubs afterward by the innkeeper’s children. Viktor helped to drain the bath outside as Makkachin received his attention, and inquired as to if he could bring the tub up to his room for Yuuri. The innkeeper didn’t care, as long as they didn’t get water everywhere and the tub was drained as soon as they were done with it. Viktor agreed, and set about recruiting the boys to help him carry the water upstairs.  


The hard part was going to be getting Yuuri to let him in.

 

\--

 

“Yuuri?”  


“Go away.”  


“Please, Yuuri, I’m sorry I’ve upset you, I really wanted to give you some space, but Chris wouldn’t listen to me, and everyone had already chosen their roommates before I even had a chance to speak up.”  


“I don’t want to hear it, I’m trying to sleep.”  


“I’ve- I’ve brought you a bath, is that okay?” Silence from the other side of the door. “Yuuri?”  


“You know they have a bathroom, right?”  


“Yes, I’ve used it, there’s no bath, so I’ve brought one to you. It’s not as fancy as your family onsen, but I hope it helps you relax.” Viktor worried his lip. “Everything was piled onto you so fast, and-and I just want to make your journey home as comfortable as possible.” There was more silence as Viktor waited outside the room, the innkeeper’s children waiting patiently with their buckets beside Makkachin and the tub. He’d even managed to scrounge up some rose oil from the innkeeper’s wife, the bottle currently sitting in the bathtub innocently, next to Viktor’s bag.  


Yuuri opened the door just enough to peek out of it, having stripped down to his white dress shirt and changed his pants. Viktor forced himself to gaze at Yuuri’s face, rather than down at Yuuri’s relaxed outfit. After judging Viktor’s offering acceptable, he let the parade of children in the room, followed by Makkachin and Viktor, who was dragging the tub behind him. With a soft thud, he dropped it between the window and the fireplace, retrieving the oil and his belongings from it before giving the order to dump the water into the tub. Yuuri sat on the bed and watched the tub fill, his jaw dropping as Viktor gave each child two gold coins a piece for their help. With a smile, they hurried from the room, and Yuuri looked up at Viktor in disbelief.  


“Don’t spend it all at once,” he called, as he went to close the door. Yuuri looked from Viktor to the bath and back again, and then at Makkachin, who was staring at Yuuri patiently, to see if he would get more cuddles. Yuuri pet the dog behind his ears, and looked back up at Viktor, who was pouring the rose oil into the bath.  


“What the heck?” Yuuri asks incredulously, and Viktor jumps, corking the bottle.  


“It’s only rose oil, I got it from the innkeeper’s wife. She’s really nice, I think she said her name was-”  


“I’m talking about the kids you just tipped. You can’t just throw money around-”  


“I’m not throwing money around, I’m being a decent person and tipping my hosts.”  


“You gave two handfuls of gold to the innkeeper for four rooms, what if we need that money for later?” Yuuri hissed, keeping Makkachin happy.  


“We have plenty of money,” Viktor whispers back. “And besides, after what my father taxes them, they’d probably only get half a gold piece for each person if we paid regular price. Let me be generous to my subjects. I’m dead, after all, what else do I have to lose?” Yuuri was about to reply, but Vitkor cut him off with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair. “Did you want privacy for your bath, or can I lay down for a nap while you bathe? I didn’t get much sleep in the carriage.”  


“First of all, you’re not supposed to be dead, according to Chris, and second, there are eight of us, and since there are eight of us, we have to spend our money wisely otherwise we might run out buying food for everyone over the course of the trip.”  


“Chris has the same amount of money I do, and-”  


“And he’s not being frivolous with it, is he?” Viktor fell silent, searching for a reply. “Is he?” No answer. “That’s what I thought. Gold can’t buy you everything, and you can only stretch it so far.” Satisfied that he had managed to grab the last word, he flopped backwards onto the bed and glared at the ceiling so he didn’t have to look at Viktor, who was pinching the bridge of his nose. This was not going the way he wanted it to go.  


“You didn’t answer my question?” Viktor breathed, gesturing to the bath. “Can I take my nap or do you want me to nap in the hallway until you’re done in the bath?” Yuuri didn’t reply. “Do you even want the bath? Cause if not, I’d be happy to take it in your place.”  


“I would like the bath, thank you,” he sighs, sitting up again to stare longingly at the full bathtub, taking a moment to see if he could focus his vision enough to actually see where it was. “It was unexpected and generous of you to think of me, and though I’m still mildly upset with you, and upset in general that I have lost my glasses back at the castle, I will accept the bath, if it means I can fall asleep tonight happy rather than upset.” Yuuri turns his face back to Viktor, flushing brightly. “And- even though I would like to kick you out in order for me to take a bath, I might need help getting in the tub because I can’t see,” he finishes with an embarrassed huff. Viktor blushes, too, feeling a little guilty about that.  


“How’d-”  


“I’d taken them off so I could see better, ironically enough, because the edges of the eye holes in the mask made very bad blind spots, and then it got knocked out of my hand in the chaos when you collapsed. By now, they’re either broken or with Lilia, and either way, I’m never going to get them back, so I’m going to have to wait until we can buy new ones.” Viktor watches Yuuri try to rub the frustration from his face, now drowning in guilt.  


“I’m- sorry, I’ll- I’ll buy you new glasses, it’s my fault you don’t have them. Why, again were your glasses disguised as a mask?” Viktor asked, draping his cloak over a chair and kicking his boots off.  


“Yuuko thought it would be easier than having my glasses underneath my mask? I don't know… She had been planning for if I made it home safely, though, not for this.” Yuuri tugged at his shirt collar, and stared disdainfully at the blur of the coat that hung on the wardrobe in the corner. Viktor blinked, and turned to look at the coat, too. “Wish I had thought to pack a change of clothes, who knows when the magic will wear off on that thing… Did I tell you that that’s what’s left of the coat Lilia threw in the fire? I’ve been wearing ashes all night. Maybe if it doesn’t revert back by tomorrow we can sell it and buy more clothes with the money….”  


Viktor didn’t speak while Yuuri vented, busy putting away the things attached to his belt while he listened. From his belt he removed a knife, a sword, his purse, and a pouch his mother had given him before she passed, one that he hadn’t opened but kept as a good luck charm ever since. He stared at it for a minute before placing it on the table beside his bed. He tossed his hat to the bedside table, too, then went to sit across from Yuuri on the bed that hadn’t yet been claimed.  


“-Have you been listening?” Yuuri asked, frowning at him. Viktor blinks, recalling all that he had heard, then realized he hadn’t heard a single word after Yuuri had mentioned the coat, only listening to the sound of Yuuri’s voice.  


“Yes, I have been, and you have a beautiful voice. Why are you looking at me like that?”  


“I was telling you why I don’t want you buying me a pair of glasses.”  


“Oh, sorry, I thought you would like that-”  


“No, I wouldn’t because they’re expensive and I couldn’t ask that of you.”  


“Even though I have plenty of money to buy you new glasses with?”  


“Yes,” Yuuri frowned. “Why weren’t you listening to me?”  


“I was listening,” Viktor defended, still flushed with guilt. “I just… stopped listening to the words and started listening more to the lilt in your voice that you have when you’re upset. It’s hypnotic.” He smiles a little at how pink Yuuri’s cheeks get.  


“Stop complimenting me, I’m angry at you.”  


“Would you like to get in the bath before it gets cold?” Viktor asks, gesturing to the bath. To that, Yuuri faltered, embarrassed that he had to share the same room with this man who was so terribly hard to read and whom he was very angry at. “I won’t look, I promise, I’ll look out the window at the rain.”  


“Just go to sleep, I’ll use a chair to help me get in the bath.”  


“I’m sorry, I should have thought about your glasses before I brought in the bath, let me help you, I didn’t know!”  


“I don’t want your help!” Yuuri snaps, and Viktor, while taken aback, listens and remains where he is. Before Yuuri can think to apologize for yelling at him, Viktor’s already shirtless and climbing into the squeaky bed he was sitting on.  


“Enjoy your bath,” he offers, before covering his head with the pillow and turning his back to Yuuri. “I’m sorry for invading your space, see you when I see you.” Makkachin looked between them, and then jumped onto the bed with Viktor with a huff, curling up in the crook of his knees.  


Yuuri looks down at the blurry lump in the bed, not sure what to think. Standing, he slipped his shirt off, and felt his way to the tub to feel the water. It wasn’t too hot, but it wasn’t cold, at least, he thought, sighing with relief. It had been really nice of Viktor to think of him… Everyone else is going to be really jealous… He hesitated at that thought, wondering if he should accept the bath at all. But if he warred with his own anxiety any longer, the bath would go to waste.  


“Not that I’m listening, or anything, but I can still take the bath if you’re not going to get in it.”  


“I thought you were sleeping,” Yuuri accused, looking back at Viktor, who was still underneath his pillow, from what he could see.  


“Sorry, I’m trying,” Viktor muttered, lifting the pillow a little so Yuuri could hear him. “It’s hard to concentrate on sleep, though, when I can hear you debating whether or not to take the bath from here.” Yuuri blushed, covering up his chest defensively, even though he knew Viktor couldn’t see him.  


“You can hear my thoughts?”  


“No, but I can feel your emotions. I think... Your pissed, and very uncertain, as far as I can understand. I’m not that good at magic, Yuuri, I’ve only learned I was a fairy yesterday, so I haven’t had much time to practice.”  


“Yeah, but-”  


“Just get in the bath, Yuuri, no one’s going to be mad at you. No one will even know, I promise. We’ll dump the water out the window once you’re done and then I’ll even let you steal Makkachin to sleep with. He likes you, I can tell.” Yuuri stayed silent, and looked back down at the water in the tub. “That is why you’re not getting in the bath, isn’t it? Because no one else gets a bath? Makkachin got a bath.”  


“Pretty good at reading minds for an amatuer fairy,” Yuuri grumbled, peeling his pants and undergarments off to get in the bath. “Maybe you can talk to Yuuko about that stuff when she brings Vicchan.”  


“You named your dog Vicchan? Is that short for something?”  


“Go to sleep,” Yuuri singsonged, tempted to splash the prince with water.  


“I’m trying, I promise,” Viktor chuckled, dropping the pillow over his face. Yuuri sank into the bath, resting his head on the side of the tub in bliss. The water was still warm, and the rose oil that Viktor had added filled his mind and almost entirely made him forget the throbbing in his forehead. “Do you feel better?” Viktor whispered, almost breaking the calm that Yuuri had managed to catch.  


“I am feeling better,” Yuuri admitted, running a wet hand through his hair. “You don’t seem to be trying very hard to sleep, since you keep talking.”  


“That’s because I can’t sleep, now, I’m really excited for some reason.” Viktor turns onto his back, cuddling the pillow tightly.  


“Would any of that excitement be due to the fact that I’m here?” Yuuri asked, not entirely meaning it. “Or is the shock of leaving the castle finally catching up with you?”  


“Both? I need to focus all this residual energy on something. You would think I’d sleep better after a daring rescue and escape such as that, but…” He sighed, drumming his fingers on the pillow impatiently. “Do you ever feel like that, sometimes? You want to sleep, but your whole body is just humming with residual adrenaline?”  


“All the time,” Yuuri deadpans, scrubbing the sweat and anxiety from his body. “You didn’t happen to ask for soap, did you? Maybe you can go do that if you need something to do… I think I need a towel, too, the ones you used for Makkachin smell weird.” Viktor sighs audibly, cursing himself for not thinking of that sooner.  


“But I’m not wearing a shirt…” he groans, rolling out of bed. “I think I still have some of the soap I used for Makkachin?” Yuuri made a face, of which Viktor made note. “Do you want to keep Makkachin for company while I grab you soap? Do you want anything to eat? I’m sure they’re serving breakfast by now…” He pulled his shirt back on, buttoning it up to the third button to the top, leaving the collar popped open.  


“Sure, yeah…” Yuuri muttered. “Don’t go overboard, just some eggs and bread is fine, if they have that… And don’t forget your hat, your hair stands out too much.” Yuuri almost dunks his head under the water, then remembers the cut on his forehead, and simply splashes his face, washing the blood from around it gently. Viktor frowns at him when he sees Yuuri wince.  


“Are you sure you don’t want me to heal that? You don’t want it getting infected… No touching, I promise, I just need to get close enough to hold my hand over it. If I was stronger, I could heal it from across the room, but I’m not, so…”  


“Maybe after breakfast, let me be in a better mood, first…” Yuuri muttered, sinking into the water up to his chin. He didn’t really want to have people in his space, especially the prince. “I was uncomfortable while we were dancing, I don’t think I can handle you that close while I’m naked…”  


“I’ll let you cover my eyes?” Viktor offered, not quite understanding. “You might get sick if it gets infected, Yuuri.”  


“It’s not you, it’s the spatial closeness of a person being next to me, added to the fact that I’m not used to you as a person, and-”  


“It is me, then,” Viktor confirmed, and Yuuri glanced down at the water quietly. “Is there anything that I can do to make you more comfortable?”  


“Just- leave me in peace for a while,” Yuuri says, sinking into the water further and avoiding eye contact. Viktor’s heart stuttered with overwhelming concern as he dropped a handful of coins into his breast pocket to pay for breakfast.  


“I’ll be back, then,” He sighs, yanking his hat over his hair and tucking in the loose strands up underneath it. “Makkachin will keep you company, won’t you, good boy?” The poodle perks up at his name. “Watch over Yuuri for me, okay?” With a soft bark in reply, Makkachin scrambled off the bed to take post at the bathtub. “Good dog. Will you be okay with Makkachin, Yuuri?” Yuuri nods, reaching up from the tub to pet the poodle’s head. “I’ll take that as a yes. See you.” By the time Yuuri lifts his head to see him off, Viktor’s already gone, and Makkachin looks around at him with a sloppy dog smile, clearly happy to have Yuuri’s company.  


“Don’t look at me like that,” Yuuri muttered, and Makkachin leaned forward to sniff his face. “Makkachin, no, sit,” he laughed, gently pushing the dog out of his face, not wanting Makkachin to start thinking that he could get in the tub with him. Makkachin sat, and Yuuri could hear his tail thumping on the floor. “Good dog.” The poodle just stared at him, his tongue lolling from his puppy grin.  


Yuuri stared back, jealous of the dog. How nice it would be to be a dog, living life without a care in the world. No enemies, no responsibilities, just the ever present problem of which trees you could pee on and which easy prey was the tastiest. Makkachin yawned and Yuuri yawned back, huddled under the water for warmth. After a few minutes of silence, Yuuri couldn’t stand being idle, and leaned over the side of the tub to stroke the spot behind Makkachin’s ear.  


“You’re so lucky,” he whispered, as Makkachin leaned into his hand. “You’re living the good life.” Makkachin’s tail thumped against the floor faster as he was given attention.  


Downstairs, Viktor waited for his and Yuuri’s breakfast, sipping a mug of mint tea. He wanted coffee, but he also wanted to take a nap before they had to leave. Everyone else was probably asleep, and meanwhile, he couldn’t focus enough to fall asleep. The innkeeper’s wife had given him a fresh towel and a box of homemade soap, one no bigger than the width of his hand, and had taken his order. She was a kind woman, and fairly pretty, and she was gentle but firm with her children, Viktor admired, as she scolded one boy for dropping a cup. The boy argued that he could buy her a better cup, with the new gold pieces he had gotten earlier, but she scolded him regardless, because gold pieces don’t grow like potatoes, and cups are expensive. Viktor finished his tea and dropped a few more gold pieces into his cup out of kindness as the innkeeper set a tray of food before him.  


“Can I get another cup of tea for my friend? Mint again, I don’t know what he likes.” The innkeeper nodded, and took the gold piece that Viktor offered him, taking the cup full of gold away without really looking inside it. While Viktor waited for Yuuri’s tea, he watched as a pair of men took post a few seats away at the bar, both of whom order a black coffee. From their mussed appearance, Viktor could guess they had slept very little. He spotted a glimpse of a vaguely familiar scrap of fabric underneath one man’s cloak, one that he had seen in passing at the ball, and stiffened, sidling away from them a seat. Assuming a good two hours or so had passed since Viktor and the others had left the palace eight hours ago, it wasn’t entirely impossible for the party guests to have left the castle and gain a few miles on them, and he wasn’t worried that someone would recognize him from a vague glance, but he still felt uneasy. If people had been allowed to leave the castle, that meant that the search for him there had finished. Lilia and Yakov were going to start widening their search, soon. The mysterious bar patrons paid no mind to him, however, and spoke amongst themselves.  


“God, that was hellish,” one man said to the second, who scoffed and took off his hat.  


“Which part, the dancing or the prince?”  


“You know which part I’m talking about.”  


“What about the prince?” the innkeeper asked them, setting down the new cup of tea for Viktor. Viktor took it, but didn’t move, frozen in place. He looked back down at the grain in the tabletop, and the two men looked up at the innkeep.  


“I want to say it’s surprising that you haven’t heard, but then again, it only happened just last night,” the second man said. “Someone murdered the prince! No one knows what happened, only that he had been dancing, and when the crowd had dispersed, he collapsed.”  


“Really?” The innkeeper gasped, the frown lines in his face deepening. Viktor nibbled his lip guiltily and pretended to look shocked so as not to be seen as insensitive, even though no one was looking at him.  


“Yeah, they’ve been searching for the killer and the body all night, only just let the guests at the ball go a few hours after the murder, been traveling since then.”  


“Who was he dancing with?”  


“Some flashy nobleman, probably a foreigner. Few minutes before that, there was a tiff between a group of self righteous girls who put down the nobleman. Prince turned them down and went with him instead of her.” Viktor could barely follow this man’s language, let alone the events he was describing, even though he had been in the thick of it. Was he talking about the group of ladies he had managed to gather? How many people had paid attention to Yuuri’s proposal? Viktor grit his teeth, still scared to move as he listened.  


“He danced with a man?” The innkeeper scoffed. “You’re pulling my leg.” Viktor sat uncomfortably in his chair, only now noticing how hard the wood was, and grabbed a piece of bread from one of the plates to eat nervously as the innkeeper placed the travelers’ coffee before them.  


“He did, I swear on my life. The one young lady that had been rude to him was pissed.”  


“And they danced beautifully together,” the first man sighed, to which the second laughed without humor. “They did, it was like they were made for dancing with each other.”  


“You’re not going whoopsie on me, too, are you? Talking about two men dancing a couples dance.”  


“I never said anything about that,” the first defended. “Is it so wrong to say that two men are nice dancers? And they’d only just met, who said that they were that way?”  


“Well the only way I’d dance with a man is on the battlefield,” the second man said gruffly. “No time for prancing around like a ninny with another man, that’s disgusting.”  


“Are you calling the prince disgusting, sir?”  


“You just said he’s only new dead, and already you disrespect his name,” the innkeep accused in a hushed tone.  


“It’s not like he’s done anything good for the country, I mean he’d only just shown his face for the first time since the queen’s death, you’d think as the prince he’d take a little more responsibility for his country-” Viktor stood to leave so abruptly he knocked the barstool over, uncaring now as he slammed a few more coins on the counter before leaving with his and Yuuri’s breakfast. He nearly spilled Yuuri’s tea when he started up the stairs, tripping over the first step. Was this really what people thought of him? He could feel their eyes on the back of his neck as he climbed the steps, his abrupt exit no doubt having caused suspicions among the trio who were so quick to slander his name, despite his dying just last night. He’d be sure to remember them when he made his comeback to pull Lilia from the throne.  


“What’s his problem?” he heard one of them say.  


“Probably religiously patriotic,” the innkeeper muttered, and Viktor heard his coin being taken from the table while he rummaged for his key at the top landing. He found his room without being stopped- why was he worried about that, again? -and wrestled the door open with his feet, only to realize he forgot the soap and towels on the bar counter downstairs.  


“Shit,” he muttered, hurrying over to put the tray of food on the bed, and looked up to see Yuuri’s shocked expression. He was still in the bath, but there was water everywhere, suggesting he had been trying to get out, but plunged back in when Viktor had opened the door. Makkachin was dripping a little, too. “Shit, sorry, I forgot you were in the bath,” he apologized, and Yuuri sunk further into the water begrudgingly. Makkachin trotted up to sniff the tray. “I should have knocked and let you know I was coming back instead of storming in, that’s my bad. Makkachin, go sit with Yuuri, that’s not yours,” he says, tossing a piece of sausage on the floor from his plate. Makkachin chased it and went back to grin at Yuuri, showing off his prize before plopping down to eat it.  


“What happened?” Yuuri asked, his arms still covering his chest protectively. “You were gone for a while, I was going to come looking for you.” Viktor’s face turned red at the admission, and Yuuri scrambled to amend his thoughts. “I just meant because we’re practically fugitives, and it would be bad if someone caught us… and other reasons like because you were getting me a towel and soap.”  


“Of course,” Viktor muttered, although he was still distracted. “Sorry, I forgot the towel and soap, I wasn’t thinking when I came back in.”  


“I got that part when you barged in without warning,” Yuuri said bitterly, running a wet hand through his hair. “The water’s starting to get colder, too…”  


“I’m sorry, again. I brought you some mint tea, if you want some. I didn’t know what you like, so…”  


“That’s fine, thank you,” Yuuri replies awkwardly. Why was Viktor so tense all of a sudden, he wondered, as Viktor stuffed the rest of his bread into his mouth. “What… exactly happened?”  


“There were a couple guests from the ball downstairs, mouthing off about my death, putting me down for dancing with a man, little things, you know, I’m just stressed, I’m fine,” Viktor sighed through bites of bread.  


“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered, his expression softening. People could be cruel, he knew that much. Was Viktor that naive to the world’s dark opinions? “You don’t look fine, Viktor, sit down a minute. I’m sorry they said those things, I thought you knew that people might say things like that-”  


“They called me disgusting,” Viktor blurted, nearly choking on his bread as he spat the words out. Yuuri seemed shocked. “Don’t look at me like that, I know the world can be cruel, I’ve lived with Yakov my entire life, he’s been very open about his opinions on my sexuality. Well, he’s fine with me being gay, but he’s not fine with me not fathering an heir. There are compromises, I tell him, and he tried to warn me about the kingdom’s backlash, but I don’t care! I like men, who the fuck cares what people say? I dance with a man once in public, and people already turn their noses up. And I’m dead, what does it matter if I’m gay or not. People make me sick.”  


“Viktor, keep your voice down,” Yuuri hissed. “Sit down, take a deep breath, we’re okay for now, can you breathe? You’re scaring Makkachin.”  


“I’ll calm down once I get you your towel,” Viktor bites, pulling his hat further down over his eyebrows. “You don’t want anything else? Milk for your tea? Sugar? Maybe a muffin?”  


“Do they have muffins?” Yuuri asks, glad that Viktor was at least trying to change the subject; seeing Viktor angry was a little unsettling. “Milk would be nice.”  


“I’m going to look so stupid going back down there,” Viktor wailed, buttoning his shirt up all the way and unbuttoning it again nervously.  


“Maybe.” Viktor glared at Yuuri, and then turned away, stalking across the room. Makkachin whined from his spot on the floor. “I thought you didn’t care about what people thought of you?”  


“I do, actually! How am I going to rally people to take down Lilia when people think I’m a weak person who can’t even survive a fucking ball?”  


“Can you calm down please?” Yuuri says, raising his voice. Viktor stops talking, and Yuuri bites his lip, not sure what to say. He didn’t think he’d manage that so fast, as Viktor didn’t seem to hear him before. “Thank you. If you’re worried about this so much, maybe you should keep it down if you don’t want people like Lilia to find you.” Stopping abruptly in the middle of the room, Viktor sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose.  


“I’m sorry, I am…” he breathed, taking a few deep breaths. “A muffin, milk and sugar for your tea, and the towel and soap,” he said. “Right?”  


“Yes, if you have the patience for it,” Yuuri said carefully, shrinking into the tub more when Viktor turned to look at him.  


“Yes, okay, I’ll remember the towels this time, too. Sorry for startling you… If Makka tries to steal more sausage, just snap at him and he’ll come. Okay?”  


“Okay,” Yuuri nods, water lapping the sides of the tub as he shifts.  


“Is the water really that cold?” Viktor asks gently. “I- I can warm it up for you, or try at least.” When Yuuri doesn’t answer, Viktor steps closer. “Yuuri? I meant with magic, you know that, right?”  


“I do,” Yuuri stutters. “I’m fine, though, just get the soap and towel. Please?”  


“Okay,” Viktor says, turning to leave. “I’ll be back.”  


“Knock next time,” Yuuri calls, as the door closes behind Viktor’s retreating back, the lock clicking soundly. Viktor gathers what’s left of his pride as he descends the stairs yet again, putting on his best disgruntled pout, not that he had to try. Everyone now in the room was staring at him as he bent to pick up the fallen barstool, as no one had picked it up yet, and he sat back down with a sigh. The innkeeper approached him with a tired glare. Viktor pulled the towel and soap that were still on the counter into his lap.  


“Sorry about before,” Viktor muttered to the innkeep meekly, assuming that he was being glared at for knocking over the stool. “I was wondering if you had any muffins? And my friend was asking for milk and sugar for his tea.” The innkeep frowned at him, and Viktor remained stock still under the scrutiny.  


“There are no muffins, I can give you bread,” the innkeeper says gruffly. “And no sugar, you can have honey.”  


“Alright, thank you,” Viktor nods, dropping a few coins on the table. “Thank you for your trouble.” He could feel eyes burning into the back of his neck. As the innkeeper turns around to get him his milk and honey, Viktor glances over at the two men from before, who were still sipping coffee and eating bread smeared with honey. They were staring at him. Everyone else had gone back to their business, but those two were still trying to pry into his. He ignored them, and played with a loose thread on the towels. When they didn’t look away, he looked up and glared back at them, the corners of his mouth twitching into a frown. They looked away, and continued talking among themselves with only a few little glances in his direction.  


Only a few minutes passed while Viktor waited for the milk, honey, and bread. When the innkeeper set them down on the counter, he stared at the disguised prince with a small amount of suspicious curiosity.  


“Thank you,” Viktor smiled, ignoring the curious scrutiny as he set to arrange the towel and soap onto the tray as well. The innkeeper stopped him from picking it up, only for a brief moment, while Viktor stood there awkwardly.  


“What’s your name, boy? What kind of person are you to dress poor but hold yourself the exact opposite?”  


“N-Nikola, sir, and yours?” The older man frowned at his simple answer. “It’s only fair that you tell me yours since I told you mine,” Viktor went on, tapping his finger on the side of the tray. After a second or two the man sighs, and relinquishes the tray.  


“Kel,” the man replied. Viktor watched Kel rub his forehead. “Where’re you and your friends from? You were very loud when you came in…”  


“Ah….” Viktor paused, frowning. He should have paid more attention to his geography lessons… “I actually don’t remember,” he said, as honest as he could be.  


“You don’t remember?”  


“Uh, yeah, I got kicked in the head by a horse when we first got here, everything before that is a blur.” Kel gave him a funny look. “It was a small horse...?”  


“Lucky you survived. My brother got kicked in the head by a horse when we were little, he died shortly after that. Couldn’t get him to the doctor in time.” Viktor blushed in awkward embarrassment.  


“I’m so sorry,” Viktor whispered, horrified of his own decisions. Kel brushed it off.  


“No, it’s fine, I… I’ve been over it. I just pray he’s happy wherever he is. And I hope that any injuries you have clear up properly, son.” Viktor nodded, taking his tray.  


“And good health to you, sir,” Viktor forced a smile, and turned to retreat back to the stairs. Kel muttered to himself as Viktor ran up the stairs, escaping before he had another awkward social encounter.  


Yuuri was still submerged in the now lukewarm water when Viktor knocked on the door, and Makkachin got up from his spot on the floor to greet him.  


“Come in,” Yuuri called, scrubbing at the wet soot that still covered his hands. At least he had been wearing gloves all night… He was glad that Viktor hadn’t seen them yet. Or at least he hoped he hadn’t. At any rate those silk gloves were now garbage.  


“How are you doing in here?” Viktor asked, edging into the room and closing the door with his foot before Makkachin could try and get out. Yuuri watched him, hiding his hands under his legs.  


“The water’s getting cold,” Yuuri muttered, averting eye contact. He still couldn’t believe that he was sharing inn lodgings with the prince. Now that the shock of the night’s events had worn off, his heart pounded like a rabbit’s. Had they kidnapped the prince? Or did Viktor kidnap Yuuri? The meek pauper peeked over the side of the tub. “Did you find the soap?”  


“Um, yeah,” Viktor muttered, setting the tray down on the bed with the other one and walking over to hand Yuuri a bar of soap. Yuuri took it and scrubbed at it under the water with the palm of his hand as Viktor sat on the bed. “Do you want to get out to eat something?”  


“No, I’m… I just want to be clean before the water gets cold. I haven’t had a real bath in days…” Yuuri admitted, his cheeks flushing with the admission. “Just because I’ve been worked to the bone; Lilia’s house is spotless. I don’t think I was even presentable enough for a small dinner party, let alone a ball, before Yuuko showed up,” Yuuri scoffed, scrubbing the coal dust from his hands. Viktor nodded along with his brief explanation, and reached for a piece of bread.  


“Do you want me to try and warm up the water for you?”  


“No, because then I’ll just stay in the bath longer, and I have a lot to wash. By the end of it I’ll just be soaking in my own filth, and it’ll defeat the purpose of the bath.”  


“You’ve been soaking in your own filth for the past twenty minutes, Yuuri, a few more minutes of warmer water won’t hurt anything,” Viktor sighed bluntly. Yuuri didn’t reply, and Viktor almost looked over at him, before remembering that it probably wouldn’t be very proper of him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I meant-”  


“I know what you meant, it’s okay.” Yuuri rinsed his hands and then scrubbed soap into his hair. Viktor remained silent, nibbling his bit of bread and giving Makkachin a piece to nibble on, too. The poodle rested his head on Viktor’s knee after he had eaten it, begging for attention. “Thank you, though… You didn’t have to organize a bath for me…” the pauper muttered after a few moments, watching the soap gather around his chest. “Will you want to take a bath after me? I’ll clean the dirty soap out of the water for you, if you like…”  


“I’d like that, yeah…” Viktor said, scratching the soft fur under Makkachin’s ears with gentle attention, smiling at the pup’s lolling tongue. “But I might end up falling asleep in the bathtub, so maybe I’ll take one at our next stop.”  


“Okay…. Can you grab me one of those buckets so I can rinse off, then? I should have grabbed one before getting in the bath… ” Yuuri asked meekly, pointing to the buckets sitting by the door. Viktor got up - it was the least he could do - and brought a bucket to Yuuri, and only then did he bother to kick off his boots and take off his shirt to climb into bed, grabbing a plate of bacon and eggs as he pulled the covers over his lap. Makkachin sat obediently on the floor, watching him attentively. Viktor tossed him a bit of bacon, watching from afar as Yuuri dumped water over his own head. Makkachin jumped up on the bed with Viktor and curled up at his feet, his tail thumping against the bed lazily, happy to have had a new adventure as Viktor stewed in his mistakes amongst the silence. Yuuri reached for his towel to dry his face, and the prince turned to his half eaten plate of eggs, pushing them around his plate awkwardly. He might regret most of the decisions he’s made, but not all of them.  


“You’re not looking, are you?” Yuuri asked from behind his towel.  


“I’m not, I promise,” Viktor smiled, wondering what Yuuri had to hide. It’s not as though their bodies were any different. “Are you hungry? There’s still some eggs that are getting cold.” He offers up the rest of his eggs to Makkachin, and offers a fresh plate to Yuuri from his spot in bed.  


“Um. Yeah, thanks,” Yuuri muttered, pulling a shirt over his head. “You know you didn’t… have to get me breakfast. Or… you know.”  


“So you’ve said. But I did it anyway. Bacon? How do you like your tea?”  


“I can do it myself, thanks,” the pauper replied, tripping into his pants, the towel still draped over his head. “I- I mean…”  


“It’s okay, I understand. I just wanted to help, is all.” Viktor smiles, holding up a tray with a fresh plate of eggs, bacon, bread, and tea for Yuuri to take. While the eggs and bacon weren’t that warm anymore, Yuuri ate gratefully, despite having had his fill on sweets the night before. Viktor watched him eat with a soft smile, eating another slice of bread.  


“Everyone else is probably asleep,” Yuuri said through a mouthful of egg. “I feel bad, now, eating all this while everyone else is missing out…”  


“They won’t mind. You said yourself you haven’t bathed in a while, so I can only assume you’ve had to neglect eating much, as well. You need it more. Am I wrong?” Yuuri blushed in embarrassment at Viktor’s assumptions, and turned to focus on fixing his tea. “I’m sorry, that was rather forward of me, I didn’t mean to offend-”  


“It’s fine, you’re right. I’ve been neglected, and I didn’t mind. Well, I did mind, but it didn’t really matter much. I couldn’t do anything about it. I ended up neglecting myself.” Bitterly, Yuuri sipped his tea, and sat down on the empty bed opposite Viktor, who studied him with a small amount of pity and a heart wrenching feeling of empathy. “Maybe you should sleep. You did want to sleep, didn’t you?”  


“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll sleep in a minute. I always found eating alone is a terrible activity…” With a melancholy, far away smile, Viktor sits back in bed, watching Makkachin get down from his comfy spot to beg for more food off of Yuuri’s plate. “He really likes you, you know. I think he knows that you’re a good person. Dogs just know that stuff, and I think that’s great. Don’t you think that’s great?”  


“I think you’re too tired,” Yuuri snarks, patting Makkachin’s head gently, and offering the poodle some bacon. He was tired, too, sure, but eating was better than sleeping, especially for the fact that he hadn’t seen much food in the week leading up to the ball. He was going to be glad to watch Lilia burn as all her mistakes caught up with her once this was all over. “Maybe Makkachin’s just hungry, I mean look at his bottomless appetite. I watched you feed him at least half a loaf of bread a few minutes ago.” Viktor laughs, curling up onto his side after making sure that the other two trays were safe from the danger of falling on the floor. “I’m serious, your dog has a problem.”  


“That may be, but I can hardly resist his adorable begging face. He’s become a lap dog instead of a guard dog.”  


“Exactly my point,” said Yuuri, pushing his eggs around on his plate. “He’s gone soft, not that that’s really a bad thing-”  


“Hey, he can defend himself if he needs to!” Viktor defended, holding Makkachin to his face and looked up at Yuuri. Cheek to cheek with his poodle, who was panting happily, he stared Yuuri down, daring him to make another comment about Makkachin’s demeanor.  


“I never said he couldn’t,” Yuuri reasoned, laughing a little as he looked up at the prince. Makkachin turned to lick Viktor’s cheek a second later. “I just said that he’d be more of a distraction dog than a guard dog.”  


“Maybe,” the prince sighed, kissing the side of Makkachin’s head in return. “I’m going to turn in. Go ahead and steal Makkachin to cuddle with. Do you need help draining the bath out the window?” Yuuri stared at the rest of his eggs, then turned to look at the now cold bath, a few suds still floating around in it. “It’s more of a two man job, after all…”  


“Yeah, maybe. Let me finish my eggs before Makkachin does.” Yuuri shifts and turns to rest against the wall in his bed, pushing his eggs around with his fork. Viktor turns to look at him and then turns away, the painfully obvious distance between them somehow larger than it was before, even though the beds weren’t even two feet apart. If he really focused, he could imagine that Yuuri wasn’t mad at him. But he could still feel the heat of Yuuri’s anger from his own bed. Viktor looked over at Yuuri again, and their eyes met, in the thick, tense silence, and Viktor found himself getting lost in Yuuri’s eyes again.  


Yuuri turned away and stood, stacking up plates and trays to set them aside on the table in the corner, breaking Viktor out of his sudden trance. Maybe Yuuri was the fairy. Or. Half fairy. Was his father a fairy? Maybe Viktor would ask when this all was over.  


If they were all still alive when this was all over, he thought grimly, getting out of his bed to help Yuuri with the bath water.  


"Are you sure you don't want me to heal you?"  


"Shut up, it's scabbed over, I'm fine, I'm not going to die."  


"But-"  


"Ask about it again or you really will sleep in the hall."  


"Okay..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know what happened and I wrote this.  
> Tune in next time for the trUTH about Viktor's lineage!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another inn, and another fairy?? Yuuri might be in way over his head! And Viktor needs to pay more attention to his surroundings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever? I'm so sorry? Also a ton of stuff happened that I was hoping to save for later in the story but I couldn't think of anyway else to move the plot along, and move the main relationship along without completely decimating the entire chapter? It's a little rough in the middle, but that's only because If I tried to edit this any more than I already have, I might go insane. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

_Silence._

_There was nothing, so far as Viktor could tell. But the nothingness was consuming. Nothing but clean, pure, absolutely plain white. It was so white it was almost blinding. But at the same time it wasn’t. Viktor followed a path that appeared on the ground, small pebbles and snowdrops and rose petals, long forgotten. Where there was once nothing there was life._

_Trees._

_Tall, so tall you could barely see the tops. Viktor tried, but it was impossible. He continued to follow the path, and still it was so silent he could barely hear his footsteps._

_“Viktor…”_

_He stopped, wind rushing past his ears like a whisper long forgotten._

_“Who’s there?” His voice didn’t sound like his own, lost to the endless trees._

_No one replied. The mist clouding the tops of the trees started to descend as he continued walking, looking for the voice._

_“Viktor…”_

_“Hello? Who are you?”_

_Still silence. Terrible, terrible silence. Viktor continued walking, surrounded by mist. Trees passed like old faces, faces he thought he knew. But when he turned to look, there was only mist._

_“Viktor, you came back.”_

_“Welcome, Viktor.”_

_“What? Where am I?”_

_“Welcome, welcome…”_

_“Where am I?” He spun around, looking for the source of the voice. Nothing but mist. Something grabbed him by the shoulders, and pulled him forward-_

   “Viktor!”

   “What?” Viktor jolted awake, Chris sitting up to give him air, dressed in his cloak. “What, what, I’m awake,” he gasped, rubbing his face.

   “Grab your things, get dressed, we need to leave.” Sitting up, he half expected to see his bedroom, the curtains on his four poster pulled back. Instead he found the less than cozy looking interior of his room at the inn. Yuuri stood at the foot of his bed, stuffing his costume into an unassuming bag, already dressed. He seemed to be doing fine without his glasses, from what Viktor could see.

   “But we only just got here…” Viktor said, still waking up. He got out of bed anyway, stretching as he stood, dream already fading. “What’s the rush, have they caught up to us?” He watched Chris gather up the things he laid out on the bedside table earlier that morning in a bag, and slipped on his shoes.

   “Not yet, but there were a few people downstairs saying the royal army is combing the countryside and out for Yuuri’s head. They’re already handing out wanted posters, so we need to leave, now. Before the innkeeper decides to sell us out.” Chris throws a clean shirt at Viktor’s head and turns to leave the room. “Meet us out at the stables, we’re already packing the carriage. Makkachin is downstairs, I took care of the tub, and I’m bringing the keys to the innkeeper now, and make sure you put on your hat.” Chris disappears, and Viktor changes into the clean shirt, standing to reattach his sword and his coin purse to his belt. He looked over at Yuuri, who was patiently waiting for him at the door.

   “You look way too calm,” Viktor points out, pulling on his hat and stuffing his hair up into it. Yuuri looks at the floor.

   “I’m still trying to process the fact that I’ve been accused of killing you when you’re standing right in front of me, I guess…” he breathes, eyeing Viktor’s sword in silence.

   “You’re not going to get caught, you know that, right? I won’t let them take you.”

   “Can we change the subject, please? I don’t want to think about this until we actually have time to do something about it.” Yuuri pulls his hood over his head. Viktor buttons his cloak and sweeps it behind him to lead Yuuri out of the room, but Yuuri pushes past him, not wanting to get caught in the rear. Viktor falters but lets him pass, struggling for a topic. He didn’t like the silence between them. Yuuri stumbled down the stairs and Viktor caught him, staying by his side the rest of the way down. Yuuri edged away from him when they reached the landing.

   “Sorry. Are you- are you okay?” Yuuri nods, not meeting his eyes. Maybe because he couldn’t quite see. “Can you see okay? Without your glasses, I mean.” Yuuri didn’t answer, thinking over how best to reply without sounding helpless. “Let me be your eyes, at least, if you won’t let me buy you new ones. It’s my fault you lost them.”

   “I’m fine. Everything is just… blurry.” He took another step away from Viktor, who kept his hand out just in case he tripped again. Viktor’s eyes flit to Yuuri’s head, and back down to his eyes, which were still downcast. There was another pause.

   “How’s your head-”

   “It’s fine- I’m fine. Let’s just go, they’re probably wondering where we are.” Yuuri turned towards the door, Viktor close behind him. “You don’t need to be tied to my hip, I’m not blind.”

   “I’m just trying to hurry,” Viktor muttered, acutely aware of the few people in the dining area that were staring at them. Yuuri didn’t say anything, but he knew that was not the reason Viktor had his hand so close to his lower back. He could _feel_ it there, inches away from his skin. Chris was waiting for them outside, and held the door for them.

   “What took you? They could be here any minute.”

   “I know that, I had to make sure I had everything.”

   “Liar,” Yuuri muttered under his breath. In the distance, the sound of about a dozen men marching was carried on the breeze, and Viktor’s face pales. Chris met his gaze; he’d heard it, too.

   “Carriage, now.” Viktor breathed, pushing Yuuri toward their waiting escape.

   “What? What is it?” Yuuri tried to pull his cloak off his head to see better, but Viktor pulled it back on. “Hey!”

   “They’re already on their way,and they’re closer than we thought. We’ve far overstayed our welcome. Now get in the carriage!” Chris opens the door and jumps inside, and Viktor practically shoves Yuuri inside after him.

   “Hey, wait, but what about you?”

   “They’re not looking for me, they’re looking for you. Get in, now!” Yuuri gets into his seat and Viktor shuts the door, and jumps onto the back with the luggage.

   “Viktor, don’t be stupid!” Chris shouts, pulling back one of the curtains in the back window and leaning against it. Yuuri peeks out, too, as does Mari and Eugen.   

   “We don’t have time!”

   “We have plenty of time!” Viktor doesn’t listen, holding fast to the handles on the back of the carriage.

   “Go, Emil, I’m hanging on, go! They’re close, hurry!” In a last minute stroke of sanity, which was rather late considering he’d jumped onto the back of the carriage without thinking, Viktor pulled his hood over his head, concealing his face as the horses tow the carriage hurriedly down the road. He glanced back and sure enough, a good dozen soldiers and a carriage with the royal insignia on the side were just pulling up to the inn as Viktor and the others round a corner, a short cut through a thick wood. Trees speed past, and Viktor clings to the rungs on the side of the carriage tightly, the wind threatening to steal his hood off his head. How do footmen do this? Well, Viktor supposed, usually the carriage isn’t hurtling along at an impossible speed. He peered into the window in the back of the carriage, where Chris was keeping a sharp eye on him, just in case he fell off. He looked both angry and scared at the same time. Yuuri was still peering back at him, too, or at least it looked like he was trying to. It made Viktor’s heart skip a beat. Those enchanting eyes.

   Suddenly the carriage wheel hits a bump and Viktor nearly loses his balance. He doesn’t, thank god, and he looks back again to check their progress. Why were they going so fast when no one was following them? Why was he glued to the back of the carriage, again? He hears Chris telling Emil to stop the carriage, hopefully so Viktor could get back inside it, because he was starting to worry he might actually fall off. As the carriage slowed, Viktor watched the trees pass, until the carriage lurched gently to a stop. The carriage door opens immediately, and Chris gets out to pull him off of the luggage. Viktor continues to stare at the trees, his mouth agape.

   “What the hell was that? You could have gotten yourself killed! You had plenty of time to get in the carriage! We’re all out here for you, you know, and what’s the point of that if you die before this mission even starts, huh? And what are you staring at?” He turns to look at what Viktor was so enthralled with, unable to see what he found so fascinating out there when he should be focused on the fact that he almost died.

   “I thought… I thought I saw mother,” Viktor whispered, his voice catching, as he realizes what he just said, eyes searching the treeline. “She was right there, right in between those bushes, watching me.” He blinks, pointing and looking longingly at the empty space, where stood a simple looking tree. Chris looked at him, a sad and sympathetic look for a moment before he turned Viktor toward the carriage with a gentle push. Yuuri watched on from his seat, and looked past them at the tree line where Viktor had pointed. Even if he could see clearly, he knew that it was impossible for Viktor to have seen his mother. But then again, if Toshiya was alive…

   “You must have hit your head this morning harder than I thought. Come on, inside the carriage, this time, and go back to sleep.” Viktor didn’t protest, and climbed into the carriage, taking his seat and turning his gaze down to the floor, deep in thought, until Makkachin jumped into his face to make sure he was okay. He wasn’t sure what he had just saw, but as soon as Chris closed the door of the carriage, he knew he wanted a better look. He needed a better look. But the carriage sped on, and they cleared the wood by nightfall, and Viktor remained slumped against the carriage wall, watching the landscape pass through troubled eyes.

   Yuuri watched him as closely as he dared, having ended up between him and Chris, somehow. Uncomfortable as he was, he couldn’t help but want to comfort Viktor. He looked at Mari, who was watching them both, sharing Yuuri’s empathy to how Viktor must feel right now. She laid her head on Toshiya’s shoulder, comfortably sandwiched between her husband and her father. Viktor closed his eyes against the uncomfortable silence, wishing he had some semblance of truth to everything.

     If he had seen his mother, was he crazy or just dreaming? Had he seen something else and wished it were his mother? He didn’t know. After what felt like another hour of debating with himself, Viktor found himself starting to drift off, just as the carriage stopped again. Everyone who was dozing complained quietly about the interruption, and Chris groaned as arguing erupted from the driver’s seat.

    “What now?” he sighed, exasperated, and he opened the carriage door to get out and see what the matter was. Yuuri, who had started dozing on Chris’s shoulder, grumbled softly and turned his head to lean on Viktor’s shoulder without thinking, much to sleepy Viktor’s surprise and delight. Viktor didn’t move, now draped with a handsome man and a sleeping dog, keeping his head resting on the side of the carriage wall. Mari shifted away from snoring Toshiya, and Eugen snuggled into her side as she kept a close eye on Viktor, having noticed what he had gained.

    More shouting from outside, and then Emil was sent to ride inside the carriage, and Chris took his place in the driver’s seat, simply because Otabek couldn’t stand another minute with the talkative man.  Viktor tucked Yuuri gently into his side so Emil would have more room to sit. Yuuri didn’t protest, already fast asleep. Emil chuckled nervously at the questioning stares from Mari and Viktor, who were currently the only other ones awake at the moment. Toshiya’s snores filled the carriage.

    “Hi, sorry. Otabek doesn’t really like me, does he?” Emil whispered, closing the door behind him as the carriage starts to move, again. Mari snuggles into Eugen’s side.

    “Emil, it’s not that he doesn’t like you, it’s that you talk too much, and Sir Otabek doesn’t talk enough. He’s the strong silent type, you know? Sometimes when you make friends, you have to consider what they want,” she sighs, glancing a warning at Viktor, who’s hand remained respectfully on Yuuri’s shoulder. “Get some sleep, now. Do you know how far we are from the next town?”

    “It shouldn’t be far, now, just another hour of riding,” Emil nods, accepting Mari’s wisdom. “Maybe I talk about Michele too much, do you think? Maybe I could be friends with Otabek if I ask about him, more? I wonder what his favorite food is.”

    “It’s probably something boring,” Mari mutters.

    “I can hear you,” Otabek whispers through the driver window, and Emil jumps. Mari giggles. “Go to sleep so I can have some peace and quiet.”

    “Don’t distract our knight too much, Emil, we might need him later, “ Chris warns, muffled but loud enough for them to hear. Viktor smiles and glances at Emil, who looks around the carriage, settling into the seat to get comfortable.

    “I’ve never been inside the carriages I drive before… This is really cozy…. I wonder if they’ll make carriages that you can drive from inside, someday. That would be really nice…. It gets really cold out there sometimes-”

    “Go to sleep,” was the monotonous chorus from everyone who could reply. Emil seemed to get the message, and at least attempted to sleep, to his credit. The rest of the carriage ride was silent along to the next town, by which they reached just before the local inn was to close for the night.

     Chris managed to barter for five rooms this time, meaning Otabek got his own room, closer to the exit, and Emil managed to escape his wrath by a nose hair. This left four rooms for the rest of them, which wasn’t a bad deal. One room for each of them seemed to be out of the question, now, as less rooms meant less to clean and less to repack. Mari and Eugen stole the middle room, and Toshiya took Chris aside to speak with him while Viktor decided that maybe he should let Yuuri have his own room, and Viktor would see if he could bunk with Emil, or maybe find a different room. Collecting the still sleeping Yuuri in his arms, he grabbed a set of keys and found the room next to Otabek’s. Chris watched from the end of the hall, still talking with Toshiya. Makkachin, who had been sitting obediently with Chris, bounded after them.

     “Don’t do anything stupid,” he called, as Viktor disappeared into the room.

     “Keep him safe!” Toshiya added, which gave Viktor a conflicting sort of knot in his stomach. He was right. Yuuri couldn’t be left alone. Had Yuuri ever learned to fence? Or defend himself? Would he be able to see in order to defend himself? And what if Yuuri woke up alone and confused and scared, because he couldn’t see? Viktor didn’t want Yuuri to feel alone. He would absolutely do everything in his power to keep him safe.

     Once he closed the door to keep Makkachin from escaping, he scanned the room for about a minute before spotting the bed, strode over, and stopped before it to look around the room again. Worrying his lip, he laid Yuuri gently down, holding his breath as he felt him stir, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

     “Where are we?” he breathes, sitting up a little and attempting to look around the small room before forgetting that he couldn’t see much without his glasses. “Why is it so dark in here…?”

     “Sh, it’s okay. We’re at another inn, I carried you in from the carriage, I didn’t want to wake you,” Viktor breathes, standing and patting the bed for Makkachin, who gladly got up to snuggle into Yuuri even though he was starting to wake up, now. “Go back to sleep, Yuuri, we have to at least try to keep a regular sleep schedule.” He yawned, and went to the window to open the curtains a bit, letting in the moonlight, and blinking around the room. “Ah, good. We won’t be too crowded, then,” he smiles, spotting the other bed and searching the table beside it for a candle, opening the top drawer. Yuuri frowned in his general direction.

    “But what about you? You nearly fell off the side of the carriage, you need rest too.”

    “I’ll be fine. I’ll sleep later, right now I have too much energy. I have a book I can read until i get tired… Aha! Now I just need a match…” Viktor continued to rummage around the table, and Yuuri continued watching him, until Viktor turned around again, lit candle in hand. The lighting much better, Viktor took off his cloak and draped it over a chair, and tucked his shoes underneath it. His sword he rested against the table, and his belt he coiled on top of it. Yuuri did his best to scan the rest of the room as Viktor went over to inspect the second bed.

     “Why aren’t you tired?”

     “I don’t know, adrenaline, probably.” Viktor sighs, sitting on the emoty bed to test the springs. They barely gave. He hoped Yuuri’s bed was more comfortable. “I’ll be fine, though. Do you want me to sing you to sleep? I can if you want. Maybe I’ll be tired afterwards, too…” Yuuri looked at him for another minute, and laid back down again, staring up at the ceiling. “Okay then, goodnight,” Viktor breathes, getting back up to find his book, moving the candle further away from Yuuri’s bed so the pauper wouldn’t find it distracting.

     “You shouldn’t read in the dark like that, it’ll ruin your eyes…” Yuuri whispered, sitting back up to take his shoes and cloak off, trying to get more comfortable. Viktor pulled his book from his bag, and set the candle on the windowsill.

     “I have the candle, I’ll be fine,” Viktor yawns, opening his book to read as he settled into the bed.”God, this bed is uncomfortable, is yours any better?”

     “Not really, but inn beds are never comfortable…”

     “Were the beds in your parent’s inn comfortable?” Yuuri hesitates to answer, running a hand through his hair.

     “Always…” The sad tone in Yuuri’s voice made Viktor’s heart hurt, and suddenly he couldn’t focus on his book. He closed it, turning onto his stomach so he could talk to Yuuri.

     “I’m really sorry, Yuuri, I promise I’ll undo every mistake I’ve ever made that’s ever hurt you. I’ll rebuild your parent’s inn, I’ll promote it any way I can, I’ll build the most beautiful garden just for your mother, I’ll throw a charity ball to raise money for a better hospital, I’ll give you a yellow rose every day, until you have a bouquet bigger than Makkachin- ”

     “You don’t have to do all that, Viktor,” Yuuri stops him, his face red and his heart suddenly twisting with grief. “You’ve apologized plenty…”

     “Yuuri… that’s what friends do, isn’t it? I don’t want you to be unhappy.”

     “I’ve been unhappy my entire life, what’s a few more hours of it?” Yuuri flops back onto the bed with a resigned sigh and unbuttons the first few top buttons of his shirt, already feeling restricted. Viktor fidgeted uncomfortably.

     “I still feel like I haven’t, though, I’ve ruined your life.”

     “You haven’t, Viktor. Stop blaming yourself.”

     “I’m upset, Yuuri. I’m upset and uncomfortable and confused, and I want to apologize until I don’t have anything to apologize for anymore.” Yuuri fell silent. “I’m not going to make you more uncomfortable, Yuuri. I want to fix this, I want to be your friend. Your closest ally. Yuuri.” Yuuri looked at him, and Viktor felt as though his piercing brown eyes, flickering with the candlelight and carrying almost two decades of disappointment, were looking right into his soul, just as they had on the lake so many years ago.  

     “You need to stop apologizing, Viktor. You’ve already apologized for everything.” the other man breathed, his voice barely audible. “You can’t just keep saying that you’re sorry, it’s making me feel worse… I’ll tell you when you’re forgiven, okay? For the things you did personally, not the things that were out of your control. You don’t need to be sorry for the things that were out of your control… So many things are out of your control, Viktor… Sometimes you just have to let them be. Why can’t you be comfortable with that?” Viktor clenched his jaw, his shoulders feeling heavy all of a sudden.

     After so many people yelling at you to be perfect, be perfect, Viktor, and nothing less, take responsibility for your actions, Viktor, it’s your duty, it was easy to become lost when all you wanted to do was escape perfection. What was so great about being what everyone else wanted you to be? There are expectations and once you meet those expectations, the bar gets raised higher, and it’s exhausting. And everytime there’s a window to escape by, there’s always something holding you back, and even if you could jump, you’re far too high up. And Viktor was sick and tired of it. And even after he’d finally escaped, there’s still an expectation to meet. There’s always an expectation. Always. Always, always, always. And now… And now Yuuri. He wants Yuuri to be comfortable…. But Yuuri wants _him_ to be comfortable… without making Yuuri comfortable? But that makes _Viktor_ uncomfortable. It was confusing. And heartbreaking. And… comforting for some reason. It made him feel guilty.

     Yuuri is startled when he realizes that Viktor is crying. He sits back up, unsure of what he should do.

    “Viktor? Viktor, please don’t cry… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you…”

    “Yuuri,” Viktor sniffles, wiping his face. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, that’s not why I’m apologizing. I don’t deserve anything from you, not pity, not gentleness, not anything. I’ve destroyed your life, and all because I wanted to protect it. I only wanted to help you, Yuuri, and all I ever did do was hurt you, I’m so sorry, I really am. I’m a horrible, horrible piece of garbage, and I don’t deserve you.” Viktor crumples from his bed and falls to his knees, and Yuuri’s jaw drops at the extent of Viktor’s grief. “I deserve to sleep under the bed, with the dust, and the spiders, and the rats, because I’m a dirty little weed and a despicable human being,” he sobbed, bowing his head to the floor. Yuuri panicked, as Viktor was starting to wail louder, and he didn’t want anyone to either A. assume the worst, or B. assume they were doing something other than either dying or sleeping that Yuuri did NOT want to think about right now. Footsteps grew closer to their door and Yuuri panicked. He slid off the bed to sit next to Viktor, pulled him off the floor, and for lack of any other better ideas, slapped his hand over Viktor’s mouth. The sobbing ceased immediately, Viktor was so shocked, his wailing replaced with quiet hiccups and wide, red rimmed eyes.

    “You’re- You’re not a garbage person. A garbage person wouldn’t try and fix their mistakes,” Yuuri whispers, struggling for the confidence to talk Viktor down without making this situation a hundred times worse. Viktor sniffled and Yuuri had to fight the urge to wipe his now wet hand on Viktor’s shirt. “You- you don’t have to be a perfect person, but please at least be a person. Be what you want to be, not what you’re told to be or what you think you have to be. We’re both tired, and we’re both upset, and we’re both very uncomfortable with this entire situation, but for now, we have to at least pretend we’re not uncomfortable if we want a good night’s sleep. I personally would very much like my own room again and to be a million miles away from everything that wants me dead. Instead I’m comforting a dead prince who seems to think I give a damn about my wellbeing on the floor of a crappy inn.”

    “You should give a damn about your wellbeing,” Viktor mutters, muffled by Yuuri’s hand.

    “And you should have some patience.” Viktor averts his eyes. “What- what I’m trying to say is. Whether we want to or not, we have to just calm down and keep to ourselves. I don’t want us getting caught because you went all out to try and be forgiven. I’m uncomfortable with you apologizing so much, and you’re uncomfortable that I won’t let you apologize. But we have to get over ourselves, Viktor. I really. Really. Really just want to sleep right now. So I’m going to get back into bed, and you are going to get into yours, and we’re going to sleep like nothing is wrong. I’m not arguing about this all night. If you say one more word about ‘I’m sorry’, I’m putting my socks in your mouth when you fall asleep. Nod if you understand.”

     “Yuuri-”

     “Nod. If you understand.” Viktor nods quietly, and hiccups as Yuuri gets up and dusts off his pants. “I’m going back to bed. See you tomorrow.” He curls up on his side, folding a pillow over his head. Makkachin snuggles into his back, and looks at Viktor with a gentle sigh.

    Viktor remains on the floor, wiping the rest of his tears away until his knees hurt. Then he climbs into bed, laying on his side so he could watch the trees cast awkward shadows on the far side of the room. Before he falls asleep completely, he lifts his head to blow the candle out, then watches the smoke billow in the moonlight until he falls asleep. Makkachin’s snores lull him into a deeper sleep, and as morning crept slowly closer, Viktor slept soundly in that lumpy inn bed.

 

     When Viktor woke up, it was to the sound of Makkachin scratching at the door and whining softly.

     His first thought was; danger. He turned around to see if Yuuri was still there. During the night, Viktor had turned onto his back, and Yuuri had turned onto his other side, curled tightly under the thin blanket. Viktor gazed at him for a quiet minute, and turned back to Makkachin when the dog started barking.

     “Makkachin,” Viktor snapped, rolling out of bed to silence the dog before the innkeeper came up to throw them out. “Shh, baby, what’s wrong?” He pulled Makkachin away from the door and gently held the dog’s jaw, stroking his nose. “No barking inside. Unless there’s a bad man. Okay? There’s no bad man, so no barking. Do you need to go outside?” Makkachin wagged his tail gently, and Viktor scratched behind his ears. “Okay, should I get your lead?” More tail wagging. Makkachin whined again. “I know, I know, c’mon, let me get your lead.”

    Yuuri watched from the bed, pretending to be asleep as Viktor pulled Makkachin’s lead out of his bag and connected it to the dog’s collar. Makkachin wagged his tail excitedly all the while. Yuuri hoped that Vicchan was okay.

    Viktor led Makkachin over to the bed again, and sat down to let Yuuri know, not wanting him to wake up and not know where Viktor was. That would be far worse that waking him up now. Oh, but he looked so peaceful like this… Yuuri continued to pretend to be asleep, at least until Makkachin got into his face.

   “Makkachin, no, he’s asleep,” Viktor whispered, almost wanting to let Yuuri be, now, and write a note to leave him, pulling the poodle back gently. Then he remembered that Yuuri couldn’t see, and turned back to him to wake him up, anyway. Yuuri rubbed his face, laughing softly. Viktor smiles down at him, his heart pounding at how relaxed Yuuri looked in that moment. Yuuri reached out to pet Makkachin, who gladly leaned back in. “Sorry, did he wake you? I just was going to let you know that I was going to take him for a short walk, I didn’t want anyone to panic… Did you want me to get you breakfast while I was downstairs?”

    “I’m fine,” Yuuri sighs, his eyes fluttering closed again, pretending Viktor’s closeness didn’t bother him. Partly because it didn’t. Which didn’t make much sense at all. “I’ll eat something later. Maybe when I’m awake enough to think up a quick disguise so no one recognizes me… God, is this my life now? Maybe if I turn myself in I can finally live in peace.”

    “Don’t talk like that, not when I spent half my life waiting to finally spend time with you.”

    “You didn’t have to.”

    “I wanted to.”

    “And you didn’t have to. Maybe if you had at least pretended to focus during your lessons we wouldn’t be here.” Yuuri turned onto his back, covering his eyes with an elbow. Viktor’s face falls.

    “Is that why you think Lilia is after you, Yuuri?” Yuuri clenches his jaw, suddenly realizing he had somehow crossed a line. “Because I slacked off? I didn’t slack off. I studied, I did my work. Lilia wouldn’t let me speak up, but I had wanted her to rest. I’d heard she was sick and I wanted her to be in a good mood. I just wanted her and Yakov to be happy, for once. I was on my best behavior, and I brought her gifts and wrote her poetry, everything. But she had been blinded by her grief, and just wanted something to forget her pain. Work. Work was something easy to lose yourself in, I think. So I threw myself into my work, too. Maybe if I did all my work all at once, and showed all my notes and studies to her, showed her how hard I was working… I thought if I started to listen to her she would be happy. But she got angry….”

 

   “Why aren’t you working? I gave you passages to read.” Lilla came sweeping into the room, her gown billowing behind her.

   “I’ve already read them,” a young Viktor replied, fifteen and currently brushing Makkachin’s coat until it shone. Lillia snatched the brush away, and handed Viktor the book.

   “You couldn’t have already read them, I’ve only just assigned this to you. You also have arithmetic and to practice your social etiquette.”

   “I’ve already done all of it, Lady Baronovskya, I told you. See, I’ve written at least ten feet of notes on this roll of parchment, on both sides… once the ink dried, of course.” Viktor argued, standing and opening his bag. “I stayed up all night, to surprise you.”

   “That was at least three months of work, VIktor, you can’t have done all of it in a day.”

   “I know, I’ve been staying up late for a while now, and I’ve memorized everything, I’ve organized all of it right here,” Viktor beams, handing over the parchment. She seemed surprised, he thought. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? “I thought, maybe if I did all of the work for you, maybe-”

   “These lessons aren’t for me, Viktor, they’re for you,” Lillia said firmly, and Viktor’s smile faltered. “You can’t cram all of this at once, you have to learn it, and study it. You’ll have to remember all of this for the rest of your life. It takes most people years to learn and study something before they remember all of it.”

   “Quiz me, then. I’ll show you, I learned all of it.”

   “Impossible, that’s impossible, you can’t have learned it all, there are so many scrolls and books, full of histories and literatures and mathematics and sciences-”

   “Do I really need to understand science to be king?” Viktor asked, deadpan. “I skipped over all the things a king doesn’t need all the time, and read up on all the important things, like strategies in war and the kingdom’s history, and the important things to know about alliances and enemies and the people. I read all the laws. I can pay other people to do science and math and things like that, and-”

   “You need to learn all of it!” Lillia screeched, and Viktor fell silent again, shrinking away when Lillia ripped the parchment out of his hands and threw it into a waste bin.

   “My notes-”

   “You think notes are enough to get you by?”

   “If you don’t expect me to remember all of it, then shouldn’t they be important just in case I do forget something? I’ve learned all the important stuff already, so if you want me to learn all the other shit, then fine!” Viktor lunged for his notes, and Lillia tipped a burning candle into the bin. “No!”

   “Those notes are garbage, you probably didn’t even learn it the way I taught you.”

   “You didn’t even look at them!” Viktor shouted, trying to grab the already burning parchment out of the bin. Lillia smacked his hand away.

   “I didn’t need to.”

   “You didn’t need to light them on fire, either!”

   “Open your book to the passage I told you to read.” Lillia sat down in a chair, and pointed to the book on the desk. “Read the passage. Now, Viktor.” Viktor didn’t move. “Learn your studies the way I taught you, or you’ll never become a proper king.”

   “I can become a better king if I learn them the way that makes sense to me. Your way is too confusing.”

   “Viktor.”

   “No! I worked for days just to make you happy, and you threw it all away like it was nothing!”

   “Happy? Do you know what will make me happy? When you listen to me, instead of do whatever you please! You may be the prince, but you aren’t my employer! You are my student, and you are to do as you’re told!” Viktor was half tempted to tip the charred remains of his studies onto Lillia’s head, but instead he did as Lillia told, only because there was nothing else to do. He had thought he could make Lillia happy, but all he had done was lose ground. He opened his book and stared defiantly at the page, not really reading it, while Lillia called a maid in to clean out the waste basket.

 

    Yuuri listened, not surprised at all by Lillia’s actions, especially after she had thrown that old coat into the fireplace. She really had a thing for fire, didn’t she? Viktor ended his spontaneous story and stared down at the floor as if it had offended him, and Yuuri found their entire situation a little more stupid.

    “So your relationship with Lillia is just one giant misunderstanding.” Yuuri whispered, and Viktor looked up rather abruptly, unsure whether he was upset from anger or confusion. “I’m sorry, I never meant to upset you. I know Lillia isn’t after me because you slacked off, that’s ridiculous. She’s after me because you want to be friends with me so badly. Honestly if she had seen how you acted around Makkachin at all, she’d already be queen.” He regretted every word as soon as he had said it, and watched as Viktor’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it like that, Viktor, I shouldn’t have said anything.” Makkachin was scooped up out of Yuuri’s reach, as if Viktor were punishing him for speaking. “You know it’s true, though. You would die for that dog.”

    “I know, you don’t have to point it out!” Viktor snapped, kissing the top of Makkachin’s head. “And I shouldn’t have faked my death, that was stupid of me.”

    “It’s a little late for that, now,” Yuuri muttered, rolling over and climbing out of bed to stretch. “I thought you were going to bring Makkachin for a walk…?” Viktor had completely forgotten, despite the fact that he was still holding the poodle’s lead. Makkachin jumped out of Viktor’s lap at the word ‘walk,’ and almost toppled Viktor off the bed.

    “Right. Um. Did you want to come with me? There’s nothing much else to do until we start back on the road again,” sighs Viktor, following Makkachin to the door. Yuuri shrugs.

    “I might as well. Chris would be pissed if you ran off into the woods by yourself.” A distant feeling memory of a soft and welcoming face peering through the trees drifted into Viktor’s mind, but he shook it away. He still didn’t know what that face meant, but Yuuri was right; he really shouldn’t be running off into the woods by himself. “We should go before people start waking up, it’s still early….”

    There was a few minutes of silence as Yuuri pulled his cloak and shoes back on, and Viktor vaguely remembered to put on his belt, and Makkachin was barely able to sit still he was so excited to finally get to stretch his legs after sitting in a cramped carriage for hours and being unable to run around in a cramped room of an inn. Sure he had been able to jump into puddles yesterday, but that hadn’t been enough. The bath had been an extra perk.

     “Alright, alright, calm down, puppy,” Viktor cooed, crouching down to try and soothe the restless poodle. Yuuri joined him at the door and waited patiently, hood already up. “We’ll leave in a minute, I’m sorry I couldn’t take you out as often as I usually do…”

     “You almost forgot your hat,” Yuuri breathes, handing over Viktor’s simple hat. Viktor takes it and tucks his hair up into it. “Do you have any other hats? I think I might need one…”

     “I have that pirate hat that I wore as a disguise the other night,” Viktor offers, gesturing to his bag. “Did I miss any hair?” Yuuri shakes his head.

     “That pirate hat was way too flashy… Are you sure you don’t have any other plain hats?”

    “I might,” Viktor murmurs. “Why?”

    “I don’t want to wear my hood constantly, it’s going to get hot… And I can’t wear my hood down, otherwise someone might recognize me and turn me in…” Yuuri mutters bitterly, with a pointed glance at the prince, who sighs deeply.

    “I really am sorry about that, it was only supposed to be Plan B…. I guess I didn’t think about the consequences that might occur if I faked my death…” He only hoped his father was okay; he’d been under enough stress already, and now he had to plan a funeral that didn’t even count for anything. “I’m stupid, I acted without thinking…” Yuuri wasn’t sure what to respond with, so he stayed silent and knelt to keep the dog occupied while Viktor stepped aside to check his bag for another hat. He resurfaced with a deep blue-black one, which Yuuri pulled on down to his eyebrows as soon as it was in his hands, carefully tucking in his hair. Viktor smiled at him. They could almost pass off as brothers, maybe. Except Yuuri’s gorgeous honey tinted skin absolutely sang otherwise.

    “Alright, are we all ready to go, now?” Viktor asks, abruptly pushing thoughts of kissing Yuuri’s cheek away and taking Makkachin’s leash from him instead. Makkachin stood and thumped his tail against Yuuri’s legs. “I know you’re ready to go, baby,” Viktor cooed, patting the dog’s head lovingly as he glanced at Yuuri with gentle prompting. Yuuri only shrugged, as if he might as well be ready to go on a walk with the dead prince and his dog. Viktor silently wondered if Yuuri’s skin would actually taste like honey, or if he was just being silly and imagining things as he followed Yuuri out of their shared room.

    Yuuri managed to keep himself politely silent as their shoulders brushed together on their way down the stairs, Makkachin excitedly bounding ahead. They kept their heads down on their way out of the inn for their walk, although Viktor could see Chris eating a roll at the bar, his hair cleverly mussed instead of pulled back as it usually was. Chris had spotted them, but paid them no mind, not wanting to draw attention to their group again. Their narrow escape from before hadn’t been very productive.

    “Stay close to me,” Viktor muttered, as they turned to steal behind the inn into the cover of the woods so Makkachin could enjoy some nature instead of the cobbled and gravely path in front of the inn. “I don’t think Mari would be very pleased if I got you lost in the woods.”

    “I guess that’s true…” Yuuri sighed, understanding why Viktor had thought of it, but having hoped to keep a short distance between them; Viktor’s warmth was distracting, and he’d rather not accidentally catch feelings for the crown prince, allegedly dead or not. Something could happen along the way, or worse, even if they did defeat Lilia, there was still the matter of Viktor having to father an heir. Yuuri couldn’t do that for him, he thought, blushing softly. He was being reasonable, he told himself. But Viktor was terribly handsome…. And so strong… But also ditzy. And forgetful. And cotton headed. And reckless. And-

    Viktor’s hand came out of nowhere and pulled him back onto the path, much to Yuuri’s bewilderment, and he blinked in dazed confusion up at Viktor’s miraculously clear face amongst the blurry canopy of trees above them. It was an almost ethereal picture… Almost. Wait, how close were they standing to each other? Yuuri scrambled to put at least a foot between them before he managed to embarrass himself more. When had he started to think about falling in love with the prince???

   …. Well. He _was_ very attractive….

   … Wait, what?

    “You were about to walk into that tree, I didn’t want you to hit your head again,” Viktor blushed, going to reach up to brush the hair from Yuuri’s face before remembering the hat that covered it. “How does it feel, anyway, you know, since the other night?” Yuuri turned away, searching for the brown, blurry mass that was Makkachin.

    “It- it feels fine,” Yuuri replied, feeling his own head and ducking away from Viktor’s hand to crouch down next to the dog, who immediately gets into his face to see what was wrong.

    “Are you sure? You seem a little light headed… And pale.”

    “I am, I’m just blind is all, which is better than being unconscious, I think.”

    “Exactly, which is why I pulled you away from that tree,” Viktor counters, crouching down next to him. Yuuri doesn’t respond, inching away from him. Viktor allows him some space, still making sure he doesn’t trip into the underbrush. “It’s not bleeding still, is it?”

    “No, it’s scabbed over,” Yuuri sighs, rubbing the small cut through the thin hat. “It won’t leave a scar, at the very least. I’m no stranger to cuts and bruises, I’ll be fine…”

    “Will you let me see it? I won’t touch it, I just want to make sure you’re not bleeding.”

    “I felt it earlier, it’s not bleeding. Besides, I’m not going to die over a small cut, you don’t need to coddle me.” Yuuri stands, and Viktor follows, guiding him down the path. “I’m supposed to be babysitting you, since you nearly jumped to follow someone who wasn’t there.”

    “I wasn’t going to follow her,” Viktor defends, keeping his hand on Yuuri’s elbow. Yuuri lets him, since he’d really rather not walk into a tree.

    “You almost fell off the carriage.”

    “But I didn’t, Chris pulled me off.”

    “There wasn’t anyone there, Viktor,” Yuuri sighed.

    “There was.”

    “I’m not arguing about it with you, just don’t go investigating by yourself, I can’t protect you if you disappear.”

    “Watch out for that root,” Viktor says, bracing himself to catch Yuuri in case he falls. Yuuri brushes it with his foot and steps over it, and they continue on, until Makkachin decides they’d gone far enough away from the inn, and stops, turning back.

    “Why did we stop?” Yuuri asks, glancing around the blurry clearing. There didn’t seem to be any danger. Makkachin crowded Yuuri’s legs, and sniffed the air.

    “I don’t know, Makkachin must not want to go any farther. He never did wander too far from home. It’s fine, you can still see where we came in from here,” Viktor replies, gesturing back down the path. Yuuri followed his gesture the best he could, even though he couldn’t see anything but a green blur.

   “Being blind is terrible,” Yuuri sighs, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. Viktor stands next to him, as close as he dares, letting Makkachin sniff out the area.

   “I’m really sorry you lost your glasses, Yuuri, it was my fault, and I take full responsibility for it. Are you sure you don’t want me to buy you new ones?”

   “Yes, I’m sure. It’s going to take forever for the craftsman to make them, and for them to measure my sight, and we don’t have that kind of time. Or the money. I’ll just ask Yuuko to make them, she’s the one who made the mask….” Yuuri plays with his cloak, and watches Makkachin roll around in the dirt at their feet. Viktor watches the dog, too, quietly contemplating the best way to cheer Yuuri up without potentially making him uncomfortable.

    “Let’s… head back to the inn,” he says instead, since Makkachin was starting to eat the leaves. And quite possibly a bug. “We can have some coffee. Or something. And maybe on the way grab a stick to whittle into a makeshift sword, or something, because you should learn how to defend yourself.”

    “Viktor, I can’t see, how is that supposed to help me?”

    “It can act as a walking stick most of the time?” Viktor offers, and dodges Yuuri’s attempt to push him into the underbrush. “What, I thought that was a good idea.”

    “I can still see things, it’s just super blurry, I don’t need a walking stick.” He lets Viktor take his arm again, and Makkachin leads them back to the inn. “I’ll be fine without my glasses until we get to the estate…”

    “So that’s a no to the stick?”

    “I’m sure my sister’s in-laws will have plenty of swords. I can practice fencing when I get my glasses back.” They walk in silence for another minute or so, until a rustling in the bushes makes Makkachin stop to investigate.

    “Makkachin, no, leave the wildlife alone,” Viktor scolds, gently tugging on Makkachin’s lead. Yuuri stops when Viktor does, clinging to his arm. “Yuuri? It’s fine, it’s just a rabbit,” Viktor breathes, although he was starting to doubt it himself.

    “That’s a little too big to be a rabbit,” Yuuri mutters, turning Viktor’s face so he could see what had gotten Makkachin’s attention. Viktor let him, half expecting a bear.

    It wasn’t a bear, thank the gods, but a woman, peeking out from behind a tree, her hair long and silver. Viktor’s heart skipped a beat. That looked like- No, he was imagining things. His mother was dead.

    They stood there like that for another few moments, no one moving. Until Makkachin decided to approach the mysterious woman. Who appeared to be following them, from Viktor’s perspective.

    “Makkachin, no!” Viktor hissed, grabbing for the lead, but Makkachin was already gone, bounding up to the tree where the woman was standing. Upon seeing Makkachin, she turned and fled, disappearing behind another tree. Makkachin stopped to get his bearings, whining softly. He’d only wanted to say hi. “Makkachin, come back, or no treats tonight!” Makkachin didn’t listen, disappearing behind a bush to sniff after the mysterious woman. Viktor turned to Yuuri for help, who only looked up at Viktor, puzzled. He hadn’t seen exactly what Viktor had seen, the woman’s face had been too blurry, but clearly the sight of her had moved Viktor.

    “Are you okay?” Yuuri asked, his hand still on Viktor’s shoulder. He felt Viktor’s shoulders shrug, too busy on trying to focus on his face.

    “I need to go get Makkachin. Stay here, so I know where the path is. And so you don’t get lost.” He turned to go, but Yuuri gripped his arm tighter. “Is something wrong? I need to go get Makkachin before _he_ gets lost.”

    “I only came out here so I could keep you from running off into the woods by yourself. Technically, I’m supposed to be protecting you.”

    “I’m going after my dog, Yuuri, not the woman. You also can’t see very well, which is why _I’m_ protecting _you_. Do you want me to take my hat off so you can keep track of me? We’re too deep in the woods for anyone on the road to see it.” That line made Yuuri shiver with something he’d never felt before, and he wasn’t sure if it was dread or arousal. He pretended it was dread if only to keep a clear head, and took Viktor’s cloak instead.

    “I’ll just keep this, your shirt is bright enough,” Yuuri joked, the clean white far too bright to pass off as peasant clothes. Or maybe that was just the light filtering through the trees. “Also this way, your cloak won’t snag on anything. Be careful. I can’t drag you out of the woods by myself, and I’ll forget where I left you if I do have to go for help.” And Viktor’s idea for keeping track of the path was far too sensible.

   Viktor just smiled, tucking his shirt into his trousers tighter and rolling up his sleeves. “Stay right there, I’ll be back soon.” With a nod of his head, he turned to take on the underbrush, keeping an eye out for Makkachin. Yuuri stood still, holding Viktor’s cloak tight with apprehension as Viktor unsheathed his sword to cut away leaves that were too thick.

    It’s funny, Yuuri thought, he’d never imagined that he’d be here, holding the prince’s coat as he looks for his dog. Wasn’t this how they met? Viktor had been looking for Makkachin, who’d gotten loose. And Yuuri had found him, or rather, Makkachin had found Yuuri, and then Viktor… Viktor had been far too kind for his own good. Yuuri smiled sadly at the ground, wondering what would have happened if he hadn’t gotten lost on the ice. If Viktor had kept a better eye on Makkachin. Would they be in a different situation right now? Would Yuuri have gone to the ball? Would Viktor have swept him off his feet? They certainly wouldn’t be looking for Makkachin in an unfamiliar wood. Viktor’s cries of ‘Makkachin’ were starting to sound farther away, he thought to himself, looking up. He spotted Viktor deeper in the wood, far past the tree that the woman had disappeared behind. He heard barking, too, perhaps Makkachin had encountered an actual rabbit. Yuuri frowned, scanning the area for any kind of sign that Makkachin was close.

    Suddenly, the bushes rustled near him again, and Yuuri stood stock still, this time expecting an actual bear. Instead he got Makkachin, bounding into his arms and knocking him to the ground, his lead nowhere in sight. Yuuri laughed, hugging the dog tight.

    “You silly dog, you should have stayed in the wood, Viktor is still out there looking for you…” he trailed off, as Makkachin licked his face happily.

    That’s right. Viktor. Viktor was going to get lost in the woods. Yuuri scrambled to get up, his eyes sweeping the underbrush. Viktor had disappeared. His stomach twisted into knots, and an actual sense of dread filled him. He was going to be responsible for the Crown Prince’s death - his actual death - and there was nothing he could do about it. Well, he could try looking for him. But how would they find the path again? Makkachin. Makkachin knew where the path was. At least that was what Yuuri hoped. God, was he really going to do this? He can’t go back to the inn without Viktor, especially since he couldn’t see for shit. Why oh why did Yuuko have to make his glasses into a mask?

    “Okay, Makkachin, we have to go find Viktor, now, he’s out there all by himself, and he’s not going to come back until he finds you, so you have to stay with me, okay? You blend in with the ground far too well.” Making up his mind, he grips Makkachin’s collar in one hand, Viktor’s cloak in the other, as he braves the wood to go find Viktor. He just hoped Viktor wasn’t in any danger. Which was doubtful, as they were alone in the middle of the woods.

 

    Viktor was not in danger, but he was very very lost. How he ended up doing that in less than five minutes was beyond him. Shouldn’t he have an amazing sense of direction since he was half fairy? Or was he thinking of a different creature? He sighed and kicked a fallen branch out of his way. He turned around to check the way he came, but he couldn’t see Yuuri, or the path. Perfect. No dog, no Yuuri, no path. Just Viktor and his stupid decisions.

    He wasn’t going to call for Makkachin, unless he started getting desperate. Not too many people knew his dog’s name, but those who did could be closer than he thought, and he didn’t want to give away his position. He heard leaves rustle behind him, and he turned, sword at the ready, only to find the woman from before, peering at him from behind a tree a few feet away.

    Viktor froze, meeting her eye, as did she, and he sheathed his sword, neither of them moving beyond that.

    He’d promised he wouldn’t follow her, he told himself, pulling his hat off slowly. He’d put it back on later. Upon spotting his hair, the woman’s eyes lit up, and she drew closer, a soft breeze making Viktor’s heart swell.

    “ _It’s you,_ ” she whispered, her voice tinkling like bells or birdsong. “ _Our prince, returned! Oh, her highness will be so pleased!_ ” She drew a hand up to his face, and Viktor blushed, suddenly unable to move. Makkachin had gone right up to her, hadn’t he? So she wasn’t dangerous, right? He blinked in confusion, suddenly uncomfortable.

    “S-sorry, who are you? Who- Who are you talking about?”

    “ _Why, your mother, the Queen of the Fairies, of course! She sent me to find you, she’s been so worried about you. You are him, aren’t you? Prince Viktor?”_

It felt like Viktor’s heart had stopped. His mother was alive? And she was Queen of the Faires no less… No. He couldn’t believe it. More leaves rustling. To his right. He wanted to look, but the fairy in front of him was cupping his face so gently and yet so tightly. Was he really to believe that she was a fairy, when she was keeping him captive? She could be a siren, come to lure him in and eat him. Or an evil fairy, set on revenge against him and his family. Suddenly, he felt very vulnerable.

    “Prove it,” Viktor sputtered. “My- Mother has been dead for seven years, how am I supposed to believe you?” The fairy smiled, and Viktor felt a shiver crawl up his spine. Why wasn’t she letting go of him?

    “ _Oh, that’s simple! She’d been disguised as a human for so long that no one did realize, did they? When she died, her immortal soul returned to the fairy realm, where she regained her strength in her true home, waiting for the day she could finally go see him again! But she still hasn’t returned to her full strength, yet, so she sent me to find you as soon as she heard you had escaped from her sister!”_

    Viktor frowned, confused and even more upset than before. It made some sense at least, but… Wait. Her sister?

    “Lillia is a fairy?!” he exclaimed, wanting to laugh. That didn’t make sense at all.

    “ _Don’t be silly! Lilia is as human as your friend is. Your mother used to be half fairy like you. Lillia is her half sister._ ”

    “O-oh,” Viktor mutters, at a loss for words. “B-but that doesn’t mean I believe you! You could be lying to me!”

   “ _Why would I lie to you?”_ the fairy asks, smiling sweetly. Her fingers were starting to feel like ice, and Viktor struggled against them, as the fairy drew closer.

    “Viktor!” _Yuuri,_ Viktor realizes, forcing his head away from the fairy’s grasp. She blinks in disbelief, her power temporarily fading as Viktor stumbles away from her to find the man he’d left behind.

   “Yu-Yuuri!” Viktor yells back, turning toward the sound of his sweet Yuuri’s voice. “Yuuri! I’m coming!” He searches the area, spotting him finally a few dozen feet away. “Stay where you are, I’ll be right there!” The fairy’s hand suddenly pulls him back, and he briefly marvels at how strong she is before he’s face to face with her again.

    “ _I have instructions to bring you back to my Queen. She misses you dearly, Your Highness.”_

    “Then why doesn’t she come, herself?”

    “ _She is too weak, her powers are still returning, after being so ill, and so… mortal for so long.”_ The fairy frowns, amusement returning to her eyes as she watches Viktor struggle. “ _Why do you fight? Do you not want to see her again?”_

    “Yes- No, I mean, my friends are waiting- Let me go!” The fairy tugged his arm harder, so that he was forced to bend down to her height, her hand on his shoulder squeezing tighter. Viktor winced, struggling to look away, but he barely moved. Her hand was back on his cheek.

    “ _If you will not go willingly… I hope you’ll forgive me, Your Highness….”_

    “Wha- Mm-” Cold lips covered his own, and his eyes widened as he realized the fairy was kissing him. His vision swam for a moment, his knees growing weak. Was she putting him under a spell? He struggled to pull away, but she held tighter. That is, until a barrage of brown barreled into his captor, sending both of them sprawling to the ground.

      _Makkachin!_ Viktor slowly pushed himself onto his elbows, blinking through his fading vision as his brave pup stood tall, growling at the fairy who sat a few feet away. She was clearly frightened, but only for a moment. She stood, brushing her dress clean of leaves and mud, and Viktor heard faint, tinkling laughter.

      _“What is wrong with this wood today?”_ She smiled, shooing Makkachin away. Makkachin didn’t budge, refusing to move. Viktor, still fighting to stay awake, vowed to buy Makkachin the best steak he could buy later. Yuuri charged into the clearing a moment later, tripping on his way to defend Viktor, as well. “ _Oh, a human,_ ” the fairy said, surprised, as if Yuuri hadn’t trampled half the forest in order to get to the clearing. “ _This is no business of yours, begone, both of you,_ ” she sniffed, waving her hand as if too dismiss Yuuri and Makkachin.

     “I think it is,” Yuuri gasped, not much of a runner. He stood next to Makkachin, who’d taken a step forward in order to keep the fairy from coming closer. “I’m- Viktor’s protection, I’m here to keep him safe.”

     “ _You, keep Viktor safe? I highly doubt it.”_ Yuuri grit his teeth, ignoring her taunts.

     “What did you do to him?”

     “ _Merely a harmless sleeping charm. Nothing to be alarmed over, I just needed him quiet so I can bring him home._ ”

     “He- He’s not going home, we just escaped from the palace, you’re not bringing him back!” Yuuri exclaimed, incredulous. The fairy laughed again. Viktor reached out for Yuuri’s cloak, his own still dangling from Yuuri’s arm. He needed to stay awake. Yuuri couldn’t possibly carry him back to the inn by himself.

     “ _Not to the hovel you call a palace, to the fairy realm, you silly mortal. And the longer you fight that spell, the longer you sleep, Your Highness, please just relax._ ” The fairy took another step back from Makkachin as Yuuri looked back to check on Viktor, who was gripping the hem of his cloak, his head resting on his arm.

    "Then take the spell back!" Yuuri demands, and the fairy mocks him with a sneer of amusement. "Please? At least tell me how to reverse it if you can't."

    " _Like I'd tell you. You humans always find a way to ruin everything._ " Well that hadn't worked the way Yuuri had hoped. 

    “Why were you going to kidnap him? Where’s the sense in that?” Yuuri demanded, whipping back to stare down the fairy. Or pretend to, anyway. He could only really squint at her.

    “ _Because the Fairy Queen misses him dearly. She wants to see her dear son again, but he wouldn’t come with me.”_ Yuuri actually squinted this time, trying to make sense of everything. Viktor’s mother was the fairy _queen?_ Yuuri struggled for a response, his gaze dropping back to Viktor, who was fading fast. He knelt down beside him, gathering him in his arms. Viktor smiled vaguely, leaning into him.

 “W-wouldn’t she be more concerned if you brought him back asleep? I would be if you dropped my unconscious son at my feet.” The fairy seemed taken aback, momentarily considering his argument, and Yuuri used this to his advantage. “Viktor didn’t want to go with you, and with good reason. He has friends who are worried about him, and a mission to deliver me home safely, and I won’t let him go back on his word. Now begone, or- or-” Yuuri trailed off lamely, at a loss for a strong closer, so he grabbed Viktor’s sword and pointed it at the fairy. “Or I’ll fight you.” Damn, the sword was heavy, he realized, his hand quivering. He jabbed it at the fairy for good measure, in an attempt to keep his arm from shaking.

     The action seemed to make his point, at least, and the fairy retreated after brief scrutiny of Yuuri's lame attempt at intimidating her, disappearing into the woods again. Finally alone, Yuuri dropped the sword into the dirt, and sighed in relief. Viktor still clung to his shirt, and though Yuuri knew he was going to be okay, the sight of him suddenly weak and frail made panic rise in him. Viktor smiled up at him, tears glistening in his eyes.

     “Where’s your hat? I can’t bring you back like this, someone might recognize you, and then absolutely recognize me, thinking I’m still dragging around your corpse like some kind of lunatic!” Viktor lifted a hand to cup Yuuri’s cheek, and Yuuri held it tightly, his chest swelling with anxiety as his adrenaline faded. Makkachin came to sniff at Viktor’s face, not entirely sure what was wrong. “And stop looking at me like that, you’re starting to worry your dog!”

     “You were so brave, Yuuri. My hero…” Viktor whispered, stroking Yuuri’s cheek.

     “You’re so dramatic, you know that, right? You scared me half to death! Help me out here, Makkachin, go find his hat.” Makkachin barked softly, and turned to do just that.

     “I was scared, too,” Viktor admits, letting his hand fall back to his chest. “Thought she was going to eat me…” Yuuri’s heart skipped a beat. Makkachin dropped his hat on top of Viktor’s hand, and rested his head in the crook of his shoulder. “Good boy... Makkachin…”

    “Can you at least stay awake until we get to the inn? I don’t want to be caught because you decided to die in my arms. I’m going to put you down now, I need to make your cloak into a sling so I can drag you back to the inn. I’m not strong enough to carry you.”

    “Can walk,” Viktor slurred, his eyes falling closed.

    “You can barely hold your head up. Do you have a knife in your belt?”

    “Mhm.” Turning his head slightly, Viktor dropped his hand to his short blade, and Yuuri gently laid him against the closest tree so he could take the knife and start working on a sling. Makkachin curled up in Viktor’s lap, keeping him warm as Yuuri worked, cutting off strips from the end of his own cloak.

    “No…. true love’s…. kiss?” Viktor teased, his head falling to his shoulder. Talking was a good way to stay awake, right? The spell wasn’t that strong, he thought to himself. Maybe because he was half fairy? Yuuri blushed, but didn’t answer, spreading out Viktor’s cloak and twisting it into a thick rope. “H-humor… me… Please, Yuuri…?”

    “No, now stop talking about that…” Tying the strips of cloth around the ends and the middle of his rope, he set to work wrapping the cloak around Viktor’s chest and arms and tying it behind his back. “There, this way, I won’t drop you,” he said, satisfied with his slapped together sling, trying desperately not to break down under his anxiety as he gently pulled Viktor’s hat over his head and tucked his hair up into it as neatly as he could.

    “You’re so…. smart... Yuuri…” Viktor leaned his forehead on Yuuri’s shoulder, and Yuuri blushed again, working as fast as he could mange as he turned Viktor around, testing the sling, lifting it so Viktor’s head wouldn’t drag on the ground.

    “Is that comfortable?” Viktor didn’t answer, and Yuuri started panicking again. He’d have to at least try to carry Viktor the last few feet into the inn, so he wouldn’t be accused of murder, or at least send Makkachin inside to get Chris. He couldn’t leave Viktor alone. That fairy might come back. He leaned forward to check on Viktor, and choked back a cry of panic. He had succumbed to the spell, and Yuuri couldn’t feel more anxious as he dragged Viktor back to the inn, retracing his steps and letting Makkachin lead the way.

 

    Back at the inn, Chris was starting to get antsy, and Mari was about to descend into a rage. No one dragged her little brother off into the woods while he was blind, and she was absolutely going to let Viktor know that.

    “Start loading the carriage, we’re leaving as soon as they get back,” Chris decides, checking his pocket watch. “If they don’t show up in the next ten minutes, me and Otabek will go looking for them,” he reassures Mari, who was only being held back by Eugen, not unlike the last thread in a fraying piece of rope.

    “If anything happens to my brother, I swear to god, that man is leaving this in strapped to the top of the carriage!” Mari threatens, as Emil and Otabek start going into the party’s rented rooms to gather their belongings and bring them back to the carriage.

    “I doubt anything bad has happened,” standing from the table to pace. Once everyone had, discovered that Yuuri and Viktor had disappeared, they had gathered at a secluded table to discuss their options, but hadn’t gotten very far. “They went on a walk with Makkachin, they can’t have gone far. Makkachin never did travel too far away from home…”

    “Well if they didn’t go far, then why aren’t they back now? You said they left at half past six? It’s been almost two and a half hours!”

    “Keep your voice down, Mari,” Eugen soothes, holding her hand to his lips.

    “I will not keep my voice down! I’m worried about my baby brother, is that so bad?” Chris sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

    “Fine, if you’re that worried, let’s go look for them right now.” Mari nearly vaulted out of her chair at the suggestion, pulling Eugen’s sword from it’s sheath on her way to the door. “Woah, I doubt we’ll need that.”

    “I’m bringing it anyway,” Mari fumed, throwing the door open. Eugen and Chris hurried to follow after her, fearing for Viktor’s life.

    But the sword had been found discarded as soon as they stepped outside, and Mari was found at the edge of the wood, her back to them, holding Yuuri tight. Yuuri was weeping in anxiety induced relief, and Viktor’s bare foot could be seen beyond Mari’s billowing skirt. Makkachin sat guarding over the three of them, holding Viktor’s missing boot in his mouth. Chris’s stomach dropped. a whole slew of terrible scenarios bombarding his thoughts.

    “What the hell happened?” He called, running over with Eugen close on his heels. As he got closer, the sight of Viktor lying motionless on the ground got the better of him, and he shoved Mari’s skirt aside in order to get closer.

    “I didn’t do anything, I found them like this,” Mari swears, holding Yuuri tighter. Makkachin dropped the boot and placed his paw on Viktor’s dirtied and torn shirt, whining softly. Chris laid his head to Viktor’s chest, searching for a heart beat. “Yuuri dragged him out of the woods, he looks like he fell out of a tree.”

    “He’s still alive,” Yuuri hiccuped, lifting his head from Mari's shoulder and wiping his face, not wanting everyone to see him cry. Viktor’s head remained in his lap. He wasn’t even sure why, himself, maybe so Viktor wouldn’t have a back ache when he woke up?

    “What happened, then?” Chris asked incredulously, lifting his head.

    “He’s under a spell,” Yuuri explains. “I’ll tell you the rest inside, too many people could be listening out here.” Chris had too many questions, but the one that was nagging at him most was how Yuuri figured they wouldn't be over heard in one of those small inn rooms, when at least half the inn had heard Yuuri and Viktor arguing the night before. 

    “No, tell me in the carriage, I had Otabek and Emil repack the carriage so we could leave as soon as you two came back, we can’t stay here forever.” Yuuri hesitates, not wanting to be stuck in such a tight space with guilt the size of Viktor's limp form hanging over him, but nods anyway after a short and weak 'i guess that makes sense,' and starts untying the sling from around Viktor’s chest. “What even is that thing?”

    “It’s a sling,” Yuuri muttered, untying the strips of cloth that kept the cloak together, and draped the cloak over Viktor. “I used to make them to drag sacks of potatoes down the kitchen pantry stairs, so I wouldn’t drop them…. ” Makkachin nuzzled Viktor’s face, gently licking the dirt from his cheek. Chris snorted, brushing the pooch away.

    “Smart.” Chris sighed, patting Yuuri’s shoulder. “Good work getting him back, too, and half blind, no less.” Yuuri smiled to himself, grasping Mari’s hand tightly. “Hey, Otabek, Emil, help me get this sack of potatoes into the carriage,” Chris calls, taking Viktor from Yuuri, who stood, Mari at his side. Eugen retrieved his sword, dusting it off before sheathing it, and led his wife and brother in law to the carriage. It took about five minutes for them to carry Viktor to the carriage, by which Yuuri counted as an eternity. It had already been hell trying to drag Viktor through the underbrush, and he’d had to stop multiple times to catch his breath; Viktor had been a lot heavier than a sack of potatoes. Makkachin waited patiently for Viktor to be situated into the carriage before climbing inside, and this time Yuuri insisted on sitting next to Viktor, feeling responsible for letting Viktor get lost in the woods; he had gone with him to keep him from doing exactly that, after all. Mari sat next to him for moral support. Chris and Eugen made room for Toshiya on the other side of the carriage.

    Toshiya joined them in the carriage with breakfast for everyone who hadn’t eaten. Yuuri gladly accepted the fresh muffins and bacon, slipping Makkachin an extra few slices as a treat for absolutely body slamming that fairy. He recounted how they got lost in the woods once they were on the road again, and then Makkachin got an extra slice of bacon from everyone once Yuuri finished. Viktor’s head was tucked neatly into his shoulder, eerily silent. Yuuri didn’t seem to mind, deciding to save a muffin for him for when he woke up.

    “I told him not to go after that woman, didn’t I?” Chris mutters. “An odd sentence from me, I suppose, but following an imaginary woman into the woods isn’t sane.”

    “He didn’t follow her, I told you, he went after Makkachin, who ran off to investigate. She didn’t seem harmless the way he bounded up to her, but then later…”

    “What happened later?” Everyone leaned in just a tiny bit closer, and Yuuri shrunk away from the attention.

    “It was like… Like Viktor was frozen. From what I could see, he couldn’t move, and then she yanked him closer. I don’t know what she did, but Makkachin separated them so fast, and then I was running to help. It was… actually scary. She claimed that she had been trying to bring him back ‘home,’ back to the fairy realm…. Because his mother, the Queen of the Fairies, was worried sick about him, but Viktor didn’t want to go, so she put a sleep charm on him so she could bring him back with her? I don’t know, hopefully Viktor can recount it all in vivid detail when he wakes up.” There was a moment of awed silence in the carriage, only interrupted by the clatter of hooves from outside. Chris didn’t seem to be surprised by the idea of Viktor being doubly royal.

    “When will he wake up, though? Was that ever specified?” Chris asks as Yuuri nibbles on a slice of bacon. Yuuri shrugs. “You don’t know? You didn’t ask?”

    “I don’t know, i tried to ask, but that’s kind of a stupid question. No one really had time to ask Snow White’s stepmother how to break her curse, they were too busy mourning. I was too busy making sure Viktor wasn’t abducted,” Yuuri bites. It had been  yet another very stressful morning. Hopefully things would calm down once they got to the Karpisek estate. “The… The fairy did say that he shouldn’t fight the spell, though, that he would only be asleep longer…” That seemed to spark Chris’s interest.

    "How much longer, though?"

    "I don't know, he was struggling to stay awake for a good five minutes..." 

    “Have you tried true love’s kiss?”

    “I’m not kissing him!” Yuuri splutters, accidentally knocking the rest of his breakfast onto the floor. Chris manages to catch Viktor’s muffin, but Makkachin finished off the rest of it, his champion’s breakfast finished almost before it hit the floor. Yuuri stared begrudgingly after his breakfast, accepting an extra muffin from his father. “Besides, Makkachin’s given him dozens of kisses already, and nothing’s happened…”

    “Well he can’t sleep forever. It’s weird enough that we left with him like this.” Chris studied Viktor’s sleeping form, which was starting to sag into Yuuri’s lap, much to the man’s discomfort. “Is he even breathing?” Yuuri frowned at the thought, never having taken a chance to check, as he already knew that Viktor was mostly alive. It didn’t sound like he was breathing, though, and panic rose in him again. He situated Viktor back onto his shoulder and held his hand in front of Viktor’s face to check. After a few moments, he felt just the slightest bit of air escape his nose, but he waited for a second one before he relaxed, dropping his hand back into his lap. Chris raised an eyebrow. 

   “He’s breathing, but only barely. It’s not like he’s under a sleeping curse, it’s just like if he took a mild sleeping draught. Or just drank a lot of really strong chamomile tea…” Either way, Yuuri still felt guilty that he hadn’t found Viktor before the fairy had grabbed him. He could have ran faster, or at least thrown something at the fairy. Not to hurt her, just to distract her. His guilt must have shown on his face, because Mari’s hand found it’s way to his empty shoulder.

   “You did the best you could, Yuuri.” Yuuri looked away from her, and rested his head on the back of the carriage, deep in his swarm of what ifs and could haves. “Don’t beat yourself up, Yuuri, a lot of worse things could have happened, but you kept them from happening.”

   “If not for me, he wouldn’t have even noticed the fairy,” Yuuri muttered, feeling stupid because he was feeling sorry for himself. He knew he should be proud of himself, he saved the prince from being kidnapped by a fairy… but it would have been more heroic had he known what he was doing.

   “While that may be true… you saved him, when you didn’t have to. You could have not saved him-”

   “I could have done a lot of things, Mari, but I did have to save him. He was scared, and I was scared, and I couldn’t just go back to the inn without him, I didn’t know where the hell I was! The only reason I got back in the first place was because Makkachin knew the way back. I wasn’t even looking where I was going half the time, I was mostly trying not to drop Viktor on his stupid head. The least I could do was get him back to the inn safely, what else could I have done? I can’t leave him behind, we’re supposed to be keeping him safe. That’s the only reason I went out with him, was to keep him from following the fairy, but of course, his stupid ass had to go and get lost in the woods. If he had waited two seconds, he wouldn’t have needed to go find Makkachin, cause Makkachin just came back on his own!” The carriage fell silent again, and Yuuri buried his face in his hands. Why did he care so much? Why did Viktor care? Why did Lilia hate them so much? Why did things have to be the way they are? Mari rubbed his shoulder soothingly, and Yuuri let her, focusing on trying to get his thoughts under control. Chris shared a concerned glance with Mari before turning a baleful gaze on the stupid ass in question.

    “Why me?” Yuuri whispered, crumpling into his own lap. “Why me, out of everyone in the world? Why did he have to choose me?”

    No one could answer as the carriage continued onward, the silence heavier than Viktor’s dead weight on Yuuri’s back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the journey's end, but the story's only just beginning!

    It was almost evening when they reached their destination.

    The Karpisek estate almost seemed bigger than Yuuri remembered it. The last time he had been there, he had only really stayed for a few days for Mari and Eugen’s wedding. As he had had no time to really explore; Lilia had watched him like a hawk, probably worried that he might try to escape. Yuuri wanted to laugh at the memory, now that they really had escaped from her.

     The manor stood three stories tall, and Yuuri could only imagine what could happen in so many rooms, as he counted fifteen windows that stretched the main facade of the house. Ivy climbed the walls, carefully trimmed around the windows, and the gardens were so well tended, that Lilia’s estate looked more of a very nice inn in comparison. They’d only barely passed the front gates that led up to the house, and Yuuri was already intimidated by his sister’s newfound wealth.

     The carriage ride had only been two days, three at best, and yet everyone in the carriage celebrated as they lurched to a stop, a pair of footmen already descending the steps to greet them. Makkachin was the first to escape the carriage, glad to have so much space. He stayed near, however, not wanting to stray too far from his master.

     Viktor was still asleep, much to Yuuri’s continued guilt, and it was much harder to unload him from the carriage than it was to put him inside it. The footmen gave them ample space out of respect and utter disbelief as they removed the sleeping prince from the carriage. After ten minutes of trying to lift him out, Toshiya waved them all away and gently lowered Viktor to the ground, sliding him from his seat and down the steps until he rested a good safe distance away from the carriage, with help from Eugen and Otabek, of course; his back wasn’t what it used to be. That feat accomplished, they let Makkachin inspect him while they unloaded the carriage, the footmen tossing wary glances at the unconscious man laying in the dirt, until Chris finally scooped him up to carry him inside, with much more ease than Yuuri would have thought possible. Makkachin trailed at his heels, too worried about Viktor to explore, for the moment. While Otabek and Emil stayed outside to help tend to the horses, Yuuri, Mari, Eugen and Toshiya climbed the last few feet to the manor.

     Once inside, Eugen and Toshiya carried on to find Lord and Lady Karpisek, while Yuuri collapsed on the first chair he saw, covering his face with an elbow to block out the world. He was so exhausted, and he was surprised that it was only catching up with him now. Mari sat next to him, peeling his hat off his head so she could play with his hair to soothe him. Yuuri didn’t protest, only letting Mari comfort him because he didn’t feel like moving.

     “Are you okay?” Mari wondered softly Yuuri shook his head. “Understandable… I need to go see Hiro, so I can’t stay for long, do you want to come meet her?”

     “I just want to go to bed,” Yuuri croaked, rubbing his face. “I’ll come see her later, promise…” If Mari was disappointed, she didn’t show it, only gently squeezed her brother’s shoulder reassuringly.

     “Can you get to your room okay by yourself? I had Josephine fix the same room up for you as last time, I figured you’d want the same room.”

     “I’ll be fine. If I get lost I’ll let someone know,” Yuuri sighs, sitting up. Mari gave him some space, letting him settle before she drew him into a hug. Yuuri hugged her back, wishing that things didn’t have to be so ridiculously out of balance.

    “You really scared me back there, little brother,” Mari whispered. “I thought something terrible had happened to the two of you… I was about ready to kick Viktor’s ass.”

    “To be completely honest, I still want to kick Viktor’s ass,” Yuuri laughed weakly. “I’m sorry I scared you, I didn’t think about anyone else, I was just thinking about escaping for a few minutes. I feel so restricted…”

    “Well, I hope you feel at home here,” Mari replies, releasing him. “You have plenty of room to roam, and there’s no evil witch breathing down your neck trying to stop you.” She earned another soft smile as she stands. “Feel free to explore, too. Just don’t stray too far, I think we might be called to the dining room for supper, soon.” Yuuri nods, pulling his hat off so he could run his hands through his hair. “Do you feel a little better now?”

    “I guess,” he sighs, staring down at his hat with returning guilt. He stamped it down, stuffing the hat into his pocket so he didn’t have to look at it anymore.

    A series of barks and shouts from the other room made them both look up, and Yuuri’s breath catches in his chest, suddenly remembering Yuuko’s promise from the night of the ball. Mari’s eyebrows shoot up.

    “That sounds like-”

    “Vicchan!” The chaos stills for a moment, and then the little brown dog comes shooting from around the corner, comically angry housemaids at his heels, his nails clicking and sliding on the polished marble floor. Yuuri dives to the floor to catch him, a mess of fur and tears as Vicchan greets his master with three days worth of excited kisses. Yuuri laughs, holding him tight, safe from the housemaids’ wrath.

    “Impossible,” Mari breathes, as Yuuri praises the small pooch for being so patient. “I thought you left him back at Lilia’s estate, how is he here?”

    “I left him in the care of an old friend,” Yuuri hiccups, returning Vicchan’s kisses. “I completely forgot about it, too, I’m such a terrible dog owner.”

    “That’s your dog?” One of the housemaids demands, brandishing a broom like it was a weapon. Yuuri stands, cradling the happy pup to his chest. Mari placed a hand on his shoulder, watching with amused awe as Vicchan’s little tail wagged at the speed of light.

    “You remember my brother, Anna,” she addresses the maid, whose mouth twitched in irritation, no doubt biting back a sour remark.

    “Yes, My Lady,” Anna replies, glaring at the little dog in Yuuri’s arms. The two maids behind her fixed their aprons, as if they hadn’t just been chasing a dog like their lives depended on it. “But I don’t remember that dog.”

    “We were only trying to catch him,” one of the other maids piped up. “He was making a mess of the parlor, and he was so fast!”

    “We wanted to check his tags,” the third added, “we didn’t realize he belonged to you, if we had known-”

    “If we had known, I wouldn’t have tried to flog him with the broom, I’m sorry,” Anna finished, bowing her head. “But aside from that, how in the hell did he get in here?” Yuuri regarded Vicchan with a disapproving frown, but Vicchan only gave him another kiss, his body shaking with how hard his tail wagged. Yuuri couldn’t stay mad at him.

    “I’m sorry, I don’t really know, myself,” Yuuri lied, tucking Vicchan under his chin, where the poodle gladly stayed. “I’ll be sure to discipline him better later, for now- Thank you for your patience, I’m really sorry that he caused trouble,” Yuuri offered, hoping that it was enough. Vaguely, he glanced at their faces, realizing now that they seemed mildly perturbed by his politeness. He wanted to apologize again, but Mari broke the awkward silence for him.

    “Well, now that introductions are out of the way, Anna, Lucille, Laurel, if it isn’t too much trouble, would one of you please show Yuuri to his room? I’d do it myself, but I’d really like to find my baby before dinner.”

    “Of course, My Lady,” the trio replies, bowing deeply. Mari promises to catch up with Yuuri later, and by an anonymous vote, Lucille ends up being the one to escort Yuuri blindly to his room. Anna and Lucille are left behind to clean up the parlor. Feeling infintely more awkward after that bumbling introduction, Yuuri wanted desperately to make conversation with the housemaid leading him up the stairs, but he couldn’t help but shake something that Laurel had mentioned about Vicchan having tags. Because Vicchan didn’t have tags, not really. It had been more of a messily embroidered handkerchief that Yuuri had fashioned into a collar. Frowning again, he lifted the dog up to inspect him, stopping at the landing so he didn’t trip over his feet. To his continued surprise, Vicchan did have tags, and a new collar, too, a blue one, emroidered with little silver snowflakes, the clasp a shining silver. He blinked in disbelief, while Vicchan continued wagging his tail. Yuuko was far too nice. Lucille had stopped a few feet ahead of him, pausing as abruptly as Yuuri had.

    “My Lord, is everything okay?” Startled by the title, Yuuri looked around the hall wildly to see who Lucille was referring to, before realizing they were alone. She had called him ‘Lord’. He blushed awkwardly.

    “Er- yes, I was just wondering where this collar had come from,” He replied weakly. “And- you don’t have to call me that, I’m no higher in status than you are, really…” The admission weighed his shoulders down, and he hugged Vicchan to his chest again. Lucille seemed uncomfortable.

    “Isn’t your sister the Viscount’s daughter in law?” She asks politely. Yuuri wasn’t sure how to answer that question.

    “Er, I guess?” Was Eugen’s father a viscount? He couldn’t remember. He could barely keep Lilia’s association with the crown straight, let alone all the other families that were underneath the crown.

    “Then doesn’t that make you a lord?”

    “I don’t think that’s how it works,” Yuuri sighs. “Anyway, please just call me Yuuri, or Master Yuuri, or whatever you’re comfortable with. ‘Lord’ doesn’t quite fit right to me. How close is my room? I think I might be able to find it by myself, now…” Lucille gave him pitying look, and gestured down the hall vaguely.

    “Just down the hall. It should be the second to last door on the right.”

    “Thank you, er- Miss Lucille, was it?”

    “Yes, my- Master Yuuri,” Lucille blushed, curtsying politely. “Welcome to the Karpisek household.” With that, the maid scurried away, and Yuuri was left alone again.

    The room was much larger than he had anticipated, or much larger than his old bedroom, anyway, and another doorway on the side of the room led to a smaller sitting area, and as Yuuri explored the best he could while half blind, he could tell that Mari had redecorated so he would feel more at home. He reminded himself to thank her later. There was even a plush looking dog bed at the foot of the four poster in the bedroom, that Vicchan seemed to greatly appreciate.

   Upon exploring the sitting room, Yuuri found a curious looking display of gifts, which he could only assume were from Yuuko; another bigger collar that matched Vicchan’s, and two strong looking leads sitting next to what appeared to be an envelope. On top of which perched-

   “My glasses! Yuuko, you’re the best!” He slipped them on, very pleased with the fact that he could now see. Not wanting to take Yuuko’s gift for granted, he took a better look around the room, blinking in the steadily dimming light from the evening sky.

   Thankfully, it was less gaudy than his father’s room in the palace had been, but he supposed he could credit that to Mari’s stellar redecorating skills. She had helped organize and reorganize rooms at their family’s inn, after all. He hoped the activity helped her feel more at home, too.

   Turning back to the desk, he scrutinized the leads, wondering if Viktor would appreciate his fairy godmother’s gifts, since they seemed to have lost Makkachin’s lead back in the woods. He was absolutely taking Vicchan and Makkachin for a walk after dinner. He only hoped they would get along. He picked up the envelope, and the puff of glitter that popped out of it when he opened it only confirmed that these gifts were from Yuuko.

  


           _Dear Yuuri,_

 

_I hope you find these gifts of use. Also, I charmed your glasses so you won’t lose them again, I hope that helps. I think it’s my fault that you lost them at the ball. Did the mask really make it that hard to see?_

_Well, anyway, you’re welcome for taking care of Vicchan. He’s so cute! I’ll gladly dog sit for you again if you need me to, as long as you promise that I don’t have to travel with him. He missed you so much! The dog bed is a gift from me, too. I left one for the Prince’s dog, too, it should be somewhere under your bed. I wasn’t sure where he was going to sleep. The manor is severely lacking in comfy and fashionable doggy accessories!_

_By the way, the coat I made for you should look normal by now. It’s not the same as it was before it was burned, but it’s not glittery anymore, at least. Perfect for attending a subformal dinner with your new family!_

_Love from me,_

❆❄❅ _Yuuko_ ❅❄❆

 

    Smiling to himself, he folded the letter again, and tucked in the back of the drawer. He’d find somewhere safer to keep it later, for now, he wanted to change out of his messy clothes and take a nap before dinner, just to recharge. His hat he discarded to the desk, and his boots he stashed in the wardrobe while he went looking for a clean button down and a clean pair of pants. The clothes he was wearing now were disgusting and covered in tears from traveling blindly through the woods, and he’d rather wear something clean when he laid down on the clean bed.

    His thoughts drifted to the events of the past few days, and again asked the empty room why Viktor had chosen him to follow and to dote on and worry about as he changed, patiently searching for somewhere to put his soiled clothes so they could be cleaned later. He wasn’t particularly interesting. And Viktor was a fairy prince, that… there was plenty of interesting things about that. The only really interesting thing about Yuuri was how trouble and danger seemed to enjoy haunting his every footstep, despite the fact that he was a quiet person with no real purpose besides an anxiety ridden destiny that made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

    Collapsing to the bed, he took a deep breath, trying to keep his thoughts from running away. Viktor drifted into his head again, along with that ridiculous smile and stupid gorgeous eyes. Had he really saved the Prince’s life this morning? It sure felt that way. There was the slimmest chance that the fairy hadn’t been about to eat him, but the way she had been acting had been very suspicious at the time. Then again, everything was suspicious when you were half blind.

    Vicchan licked his ankle, and Yuuri wrinkled his nose, laughing as he sat up to pick the dog up and hold him close. God, he had only been away from his sweet puppy for three days, but it was so good to have him back. He laid back on the bed again, letting Vicchan get comfortable and kissing his nose.

    “I missed you, Vicchan. I’m glad... you’re okay…” Yawning, Yuuri kissed Vicchan’s forehead again before he drifted off; the bed was far too comfortable to not sleep in it immediately.

 

    

     _Nothing but white. White mist, white trees, white nothingness._

_Viktor followed the path that appeared for him, this time until it opened up to a grand ballroom, painted with pinks and purples and creams and oranges and golds. Flowing white curtains and tapestries lined the room, and Viktor paused to admire it. This was unlike any ballroom he had ever visited, and he’d been to quite a few, in many countries._

_At the center of the room sat the most regal and beautiful looking chair he’d ever seen, and he was almost tempted to sit in it. But he didn’t, because the commanding silence of the room seemed to almost beg for reverence. So he knelt before the chair to revere, with it’s gold and silver filigree and plush velvet seat, studying it as he would a painting, for surely this couldn’t be real._

_“Stand, Prince Viktor, my dearest son.” a voice rang out, clear as a bell, and gentle as a summer breeze. Viktor did, and looked around him, for that voice could only belong to one person. He blinked, and before him appeared a face so familiar, so gentle and loving and_ familiar _that he almost cried with joy._

_“Mother,” he breathed, his heart skipping a beat. The fairy queen smiled, reaching out to touch his cheek. Viktor held it there as delicately as he could manage, as if she would fade away should he hold her too tightly._

_“You’ve grown so much, Vitenka,” she sighed, running her hand through his hair Viktor let her, searching her eyes. Oh, to see his mother again. If only this weren’t a dream. “And your hair is so short, what happened? Did Yakov make you cut it? That man clings to tradition too much.”_

_“No, Mama, I gave you my hair. Father did, too, after- after your funeral. We cut it and tied it around your favorite flowers, and left them at your grave. It was so hard letting you go, Mama,” Viktor whispered, recalling the day in excruciating detail. His mother sighed, pulling him into a gentle and reassuring hug. Viktor held her tight, suddenly struck by how vivid this was._

_“I’m sorry I had to leave you, Vitenka… I miss you and your father every day, and I’ve never stopped loving you, just know that, okay? I promise we’ll meet again in person one day. Promise me you’ll stay strong until then, okay?”_

_“Okay Mama,” Viktor blubbers, tears sliding down his cheeks to stain his mother’s shoulder._

_“Everything will be okay. Just give it time, you’ll see. I have to go now, but I need to tell you one more thing before I do.” Viktor lifted his head abruptly, fear in his eyes._

_“Don’t leave me again, Mama, I don’t want you to go.”_

_“You’ll see me again, I promise. I love you, Vitenka, don’t you ever forget. I’ll never leave you again.” Viktor nods, a little too aggressively. “Oh, and I’m sorry if my lady in waiting frightened you this morning, she’s a little too eager to serve me. I told her to be gentle, but she must not have listened.” For a moment, Viktor wasn’t sure what she meant, but then remembered how Yuuri had saved him from being kidnapped from an aggressive fairy. And then for some reason, the realness of his dream suddenly made sense._

_“You_ were _looking for me! Mama, I’m so sorry, if I had known-”_

_“No, don’t apologize. From what Lorie has told me, you have much more important things to worry about. I understand completely. When we next meet, you must tell me everything.”_

_“But when will that be?” Viktor demands, grasping for more details. “Mama, I want to see you again. I want you to meet Yuuri, and convince Yakov to let me marry him. He’s brainwashed father, and he’s adamant that I must marry for wealth and the country’s future, but what about my happiness? I won’t be happy if Yuuri isn’t at my side. I’m absolutely certain that we were meant to be together. It must be fate.”_

_“I’m sure it is, Vitenka, but you must be patient. Whenever we do meet again, I’m sure your story will be great. I must go now, but I wish you all luck in the coming days. Godspeed, my son.” Viktor had barely any time to say anything before his mother laid a gentle kiss to his forehead, and the dream faded like so much mist._

  


    Viktor woke up with tear stained cheeks, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember what he had dreamt. He knew it hadn’t been bad, as he didn’t feel sad, but the melancholy feeling in his chest didn’t fade. The first thing he noticed before he opened his eyes as he took in his surroundings was that the thing he was lying on was very soft, and that made absolutely no sense; when he had fallen asleep, Yuuri had been about ready to drag him back to the inn. But after that, nothing. He opened his eyes to darkness, but by what he could see, he had the slightest feeling that they were not at the inn anymore. Makkachin lifted his head from where he lay at Viktor’s side, and attacked him with kisses once he realized Viktor was awake. Viktor gladly accepted them, still groggy from his unnecessarily long nap. He blinked around at his surroundings as he sat up, stretching the sleep out of his limbs. Was stiffness a side effect of the spell he was under? Or was he stiff because Yuuri had dragged him through the woods in a makeshift sling? Either way he would need a good stretch.

    They were definitely not in the inn anymore, he confirmed to himself, studying the room again. Had they made to the Karpisek estate already? What day was it? What time was it?

    Where was Yuuri?

    Disregarding everything else, he bolted out of bed, nearly tripping over his own feet. Right, take it slow. He shouldn’t rush. But he needed to. He needed to find Yuuri. Standing, he shuffled to the door, only pausing after he caught sight of himself in a floor length mirror. Someone must have changed his clothes while he slept, he thought to himself, because he absolutely did not remember putting on what he was wearing now. First of all, the new shirt he was wearing was a pale blue instead of white, the buttons hanging open where the garment wasn’t tucked into his trousers, which were a deeper blue instead of black. It wasn’t bad, it was just… different. He felt different.

    Focus. He needed to find Yuuri. His urgency returning, he forgot to put on his hat and shoes as he left the room, his bare feet slapping on the marble floor as he bolted down the hall, nearly crashing into multiple people. Makkachin barreled after him, clearly happy that his master was alright, and enjoying the game that he seemed to be playing; they’d never been able to run through the halls in the palace. The maids he displaced shouted in astonishment and protest as he passed, not having expected for their mysterious guest to have awoken so soon- and so underdressed!

    Viktor paid them no mind, only stopping when he reached the foyer, toppling someone over. They both fell in a mess of limbs and shouts, Makkachin joining them and happily giving each person a big, sloppy kiss. Once separated, Viktor subdued Makkachin by collecting him in his arms, completely forgetting that he had body slammed someone to the floor. And still hadn’t apologized for it.

    He looked over at the man he had unintentionally attacked, ready to apologize, when the face he met made his stomach drop.

    It was Georgi Popovich, another one of Viktor’s distant cousins, of whom was at the ball where Viktor had faked his death, was not supposed to be at the Karpisek estate at all, and was also gaping at him like a fish, much like Viktor was doing at him, now. Composing himself, Viktor pulled Makkachin back, hoping to approach this delicately. Georgi sat frozen, but shuffled away as slowly as he could manage as Viktor drew closer.

   “Georgi-”

   “BEGONE VILE SPIRIT-”

   “Georgi!-”

   “-LEAVE ME BE!”

   “Calm down!” Viktor shouted, grabbing the man by the face. Georgi fell silent for only a moment, before he broke down into hysterical screaming. “I’m not dead, you idiot, get a hold of yourself!” Probably not the best thing to yell into a screaming person’s face, as Georgi didn’t listen, pushing Viktor away and retreating into the next room, while a small group of people Viktor didn’t entirely recognize gathered to see what was the matter, stopping in their tracks when they saw him. Viktor drops his face into his hands as he teeters to his feet. That could have gone better. Makkachin tilts his head up at him, his tail wagging excitedly and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Viktor pats his head and turns to the curious audience he’d acquired.

    “Has anyone... seen Yuuri,” he pleads, running his hands through his hair. “I _need_ to see him.” And almost as if in slow motion - in Viktor’s mind, anyway - the sea of faces parted as Yuuri pushed to the front of the small crowd, Chris trailing along behind him. Viktor ignored Chris for the time being, and swept Yuuri up in a hug. Yuuri stiffly hugged back, his face flushed pink from the sight of Viktor’s shirt open. “Thank the gods you’re okay,” Viktor whispered, holding him tighter.

    “Viktor, you’re indecent,” Yuuri whispered back, avoiding eye contact from everyone, especially Viktor. This was far too embarrassing.

    “I don’t care… I don’t care, I don’t care. I only care that you’re safe, that you took the time to save me and that you’re safe, that we’re both safe,” Viktor murmured, lifting his head to look at him. “Let me look at you, I feel like it’s been forever since I saw your face.”

    “Viktor, it’s only been more than half a day… We thought you were going to sleep for weeks, though, you really scared us…”

    “You really scared Georgi, too,” Chris laughs, clapping Viktor’s shoulder, who seemed dazed, now. “We should really calm him down, but that was probably the best laugh I’ve had in days.”

    “It’s only been half a day?” Viktor wonders, looking around him. The foyer they were standing in was comfortably lit, and a nice change from the overly decorated palace. The walls were plain, and the chandeliers were pretty, but not overcompensating. He looked back at Yuuri. “You have your glasses back, too,” he observed. Yuuri blushed, recalling Viktor’s insistence on buying him a new pair. “That was fast.”

    “Yeah, we only just got here a few hours ago,” Yuuri replied, stepping out of Viktor’s embrace and pushing his glasses up his nose awkwardly. Viktor let him, but still held fast to Yuuri’s hand. He didn’t want to let go just yet. He needed something to ground him to reality. Yuuri tried to ignore it, finding himself glad that Viktor was okay. “I’ll explain later, maybe…”

    “We were just in the middle of dinner, if you’re hungry. Don’t forget to button your shirt.” Chris whispered, gesturing in the direction of the dining room. Viktor looked around them as they went, only now noticing that the group of people that had gathered. Yuuri’s new family, he assumed, looking over them. Mari was holding her daughter, Toshiya beside her, Eugen and what he could only assume as Eugen and his cousins or brothers stood not too far behind them, and Lord Karpisek and his wife stood blocking the door to the dining room. They stopped, and a moment of silence passed between them.

    “Er- Evening, Lord Karpisek, Lady Karpisek,” Viktor nodded, not-so-surreptitiously buttoning his shirt. “So sorry for the noise.” Yuuri fixed his own clothes, his face pink, only now noticing their disarray from Viktor smothering him in a hug. Chris stood to the side, otherwise professional. Lord Josef Karpisek took one look at him and laughed, as if Viktor’s actions didn’t surprise him in the least.

    “Bah, no need to apologize, Georgi’s always been something of a superstitious ninny.” Josef sighed, his laughter fading to a gentle smile. Viktor finishes buttoning his shirt, his plastic smile appearing easily. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Your Highness, I trust your room was comfortable?”

    “Yes, thank you, Josef, but for the time being, I’m just Viktor, if you don’t mind. No sense in using titles if I’m supposed to be dead.” No one seemed amused by the remark, even though Viktor had meant for it to be a joke, and he changed the subject, turning to Josef’s wife. “My Lady Marianne, you look lovely this evening. Is that a new dress?” He offers his arm, and Marianne laughs brightly as he leads her back into the dining room, her concern for the Prince’s mental health all to evident in her gaze. Yuuri and Chris follow after them, as do Josef and Eugen. Although Mari wishes she could stay to reprimand Viktor for leaving her brother behind, Mari excuses herself and a woman who Yuuri now knew as the household’s hired nanny, as they shepard the younger children off to bed, having already finished their dinners and needn’t stay for the adult’s idle chatter. Besides, Mari wanted to catch up with her baby.  The older boys stay, a little dazed as they watch the crown prince charm their aunt all the way back to the dining table.

    Before they even reached a table, Georgi appears from underneath the table brandishing a steak knife, surprising everyone but Viktor, who steps forward to shield Marianne, who steps back to stand with Josef and Toshiya. Yuuri looks on, his head a whirlwind of emotions because Georgi had decided the best course of action was to charge Viktor before he could escape.

    Viktor catches his arms, struggling for a second as they wrestle, the steak knife dangerously close to Viktor’s face. Not wanting to harm Georgi in anyway and understanding to a small degree how hysterical he must be, he shakes the knife to the floor. Chris and Eugen appeared beside him to subdue the panicking earl. Viktor steps away once he’s certain that Georgi is under control, again wishing he hadn’t faked his death so readily. He picks up the knife, and Georgi begins to panic again.

    “Georgi, knock it off,” Viktor sighs, combing his hair back. “You’re giving me a headache.” Georgi grows still, blubbering like an idiot.

    “Please spare me, spirit-”

    “Relax, Georgi, I’m not going to touch you,” Viktor replies, making a show of rolling up his sleeves and pricking his finger with the knife. Georgi gasps, shrinking away when Viktor holds out his bleeding finger out for him. “There, see? If I was dead, I wouldn’t be able to bleed. I wouldn’t have been able to wrestle you to the ground, either. Are you satisfied, now?” Georgi nods once, shakes his head no, then falls silent. “Good, now have a glass of wine and calm down. I’m sorry for scaring you, I didn’t even know you’d be here. Or that I was here, really, until I ran into you. Can we talk like civilized people, now?” Chris and Eugen let Georgi stand, then he promptly falls to the floor in a dead faint. Viktor steps forward to keep him from landing on his face. “Sorry, Georgi. We’ll fill you in later, I guess.”

   Eugen and Chris volunteer to drag the unconscious Georgi from the room, where Viktor is left to apologize again. Yuuri glances away in embarrassment and resumes his seat at the table without much ado. Josef directs Viktor to an empty seat across from him, which Viktor takes, suddenly not feeling all that hungry as everyone else in the room joins them. He discreetly cleans the knife and his finger with a napkin, as a maid comes up behind him to pour him some wine.

   “Now that everything is finally calming down again,” Josef raises his voice over the boys further down the table trying to figure out which one of them was going to talk to the prince first. They fall silent, and Josef continues. “how about we resume our conversation. Prince Viktor, if you would be so inclined, Yuuri’s just finished telling us about this morning, he said you’d have a more colorful point of view on the matter, as he says he was half blind the entire time.”

    “Did he now?” Viktor cocks his head, smiling curiously over a bowl of roast potatoes at Yuuri, who was trying to hide his face behind his glass of wine, which he really didn’t seem to be drinking.

    “Yes, he said there had been a fairy trying to kidnap you for whatever reason, which is why you’d been unconscious for most of the day. I’m rather intrigued as to how the crown prince, who’s long past learned to defend himself, and quite well, in fact, as evidenced by your scuffle with Lord Popovich not moments ago, was bested by a mere fairy.” Viktor feels his cheeks color in embarrassment, and he turns to Josef at the head of the table.

    “Are you teasing me, Josef? Because I can’t really tell,” Viktor remarks, his blue eyes narrowing for a moment. He wasn’t at all offended, but he let the table think he was, if only for now. Josef shrugs, accepting his silent challenge.

    “I might be. Would you like to enlighten us?” Viktor would absolutely love to. He wanted the world to know of Yuuri’s spur of the moment heroism, even if it was just a false alarm. He pretended to consider this, plucking a roll from a basket in front of him.

     “If I must, Josef. You never did enjoy a half solved mystery.” Viktor pulls his roll apart and covers it in butter in silence, if only to stall until he had his thoughts in order.

     A voice in the back of his mind whispered, “ _She’s a little too eager to serve me. I told her to be gentle, but she must not have listened.”_ His hand stilled as he set the butterknife down, wondering where it had come from. It sounded like a message from a dream. Of course! He’d dreamed about his mother. She’d apologized in the stead of the fairy she’d sent to fetch him. The table was staring at him. He needed to say something.

     “Let’s just put it this way,” he breathed, taking a bite of his roll, chewing slowly. This was a good roll. Maybe he’d have another few after he finished his story. “I should have kept my hat on. She wouldn’t have recognized me if I had. I’m sure she still would have figured it out eventually, but I could have spared everyone the trouble of dragging me around. For that, I’m sorry. You all risked your asses for me and I nearly blew it.”

     “So you admit you went after the fairy on purpose?” Josef asked. “Chris said you’d seen the fairy before.”

     “Yes, to your second question, no to the first. Makkachin went after the fairy,” Viktor replied through a mouthful of roll. Where was his poodle, anyway? He leaned back to check under the table, feeling a warm body slump against his legs. Sure enough, he was resting at his feet, waiting for scraps. He smiled and reached down to pat her head. “Oh, by the way, he deserves a good dinner, can someone please bring him a plate? He hasn’t eaten much in the past few days, and he helped Yuuri scare off the fairy, he deserves to be spoiled tonight. Only the best for my baby.” He winks across the table at Yuuri, who manages to choke on the wine he wasn’t drinking.

     “Of course, Viktor, of course. A hearty reward for a mighty pup.” He waves a serving maid over to fix a plate for Makkachin, who upon realizing they were talking about him, squeezes out from under the table to wait patiently for his meal. Viktor smiles, and turns the subject back to Yuuri’s daring rescue.

     “As I was saying, Makkachin ran after the fairy, scaring her off, then proceeded to search the wood for her. I had Yuuri stay with the path, not wanting to get lost. By the time I realized I _was_ lost, the fairy had appeared again, obviously because I was alone. She was beautiful, as fairies should be, and I was mesmerized. I knew better to get closer, but I just wanted to ask her why she’d been following me. So I suppose I didn’t go looking for the fairy, but I did allow her to attack me. Well- attack is a strong word. I took off my hat, and clearly she recognized me and refused to leave without me. But I wouldn’t go. So she grabbed me, leaned in close, and froze me there until I complied.”

      “She froze you?” One of the younger boys still at the table spoke up, and Viktor looked up from his still empty plate. He’d almost forgotten he’d had a willing audience- everyone was so silent.

      “Yes, her hands were like ice. But still, I didn’t want to go with her, mainly because she was vaguely threatening, and what if she was a selkie? Or a siren?”

      “Viktor, there weren’t any bodies of water nearby,” Yuuri spoke up, almost whispering, clearly not used to speaking in front of groups of people. Viktor placed his foot on Yuuri’s boot reassuringly.

      “Well- you know what I mean. What if she was actually there to kidnap me, preying on my thoughts and desires to make me go with her? I’m not a weak willed man-” Chris cleared his throat behind him, and he flinched, having not realized that Chris and Eugen had returned from helping Georgi. “Chris, shall I continue?”

      “I refuse, Your Highness, for if you were not a weak willed man, Yuuri would not be sitting in front of you right now,” Chris whispered into Viktor’s ear, so that only he could hear.

      “That’s not our topic of discussion,” Viktor hissed, batting Chris away. Eugen was already seated next to Yuuri, so Chris took a spot next to Viktor, helping himself to another glass of wine. “Anyway, I refused to go with her, even after her claims of purpose, which were fairly harmless, my reason being that Chris and the others were waiting for us at the inn, and Yuuri was probably wondering where I am, so the fairy’s brilliant idea was to put me under a sleeping charm, so that she could take me with her without a fight. She grabbed my cheeks in one hand, my shoulder in the other, and kissed me.” The table wasn’t roused by a gasp as he had expected, but Yuuri certainly seemed a little confused. And maybe jealous? Interesting, he thought as he continued.

    “Rather dramatic, I know, she probably didn’t even have to. She could have probably just splashed a sleeping draught in my face, I would have been out in two seconds. But just as I was starting to feel drowsy, Makkachin slammed into us, and we were separated, the fairy just beyond the tree, and I in a heap on the ground. I was struggling to stay awake, which wasn’t too hard considering. The spell was taking it’s time. Then Yuuri appeared, his cloak flowing behind him like wings, his hair flying in the breeze. He stopped above me, defending me, protecting me. Like an angel.” Yuuri blushed darkly, looking like he wanted to disappear. “You were beautiful, Yuuri. And then he took me into his arms and held me close, and I could have died happy knowing I was in the care of someone so brave, even though he was probably really mad that I disappeared on him.”

     “Please stop,” was all Yuuri could manage in reply. “I wasn’t heroic, I was bumbling at best. I couldn’t even see.”

     “But you handled everything so well!” Viktor interjects, wanting to jump across the table and give Yuuri another hug. “Have you ever picked up a sword before today? You held it with such poise from what I could see.”

     “He fought the fairy?!” The boys at the other end of the table were all loving the fact that they could have such an action packed story at dinner. Usually all they had to listen to were their uncle’s hunting stories, which weren’t heroic in the least.

     “He didn’t, but he certainly tried!” Viktor grinned, enjoying how engaged these boys seemed to be in his story.

     “I raised the sword and threatened to fight her, and she ran away,” Yuuri muttered. “There’s nothing heroic about that.”

     “I admit, that isn’t very heroic. But it was very brave of you to protect me so readily.”

     “I just didn’t want to have agreed to all of this in vain, so yeah, I saved your life. I probably just delayed the inevitable” Yuuri spat, and downed what was left of his wine. The room fell silent, and a good ten degrees colder. Viktor’s jaw actually dropped at Yuuri’s outburst. “I’m going to bed, pardon me for yelling. I’ve had an incredibly difficult week.” he sighed, standing and leaving the room. Viktor stood to go after him, but Chris held him back.

     “Give him some space,” Chris breathed as Viktor sat back down, feeling rejected. “Eat something.”

     “I was only complimenting him. He protected me in a potentially dangerous situation, he deserves all the praise in the world.” Chris offered him a serving spoon full of potatoes. Viktor waves his hand away from his plate and grabs another roll.

     “You say potentially like it wasn’t dangerous at all,” Chris says slowly, and Viktor pauses on his way to grab the butterknife again. “There’s a part of your story that you’re not telling us.”

     “More to the mystery, perhaps?” Josef speaks up and Viktor bristles, even though he knows that the man is only trying to brighten the mood.

     “Not really,” Viktor lied, glaring at Chris in a way that said ‘We’ll talk later.’ “It’s not all that interesting. What’s more interesting is the fact that the fairy had said I’d sleep longer than I would have had I not struggled, and yet I’m awake not even- what time is it?”

     “Almost 8:30,” Chris supplies, and Viktor nods, intrigued. “It’s been almost twelve hours. But then again, the time frame of the spell was never even implied. You don’t know if the fairy had meant to put you under for weeks, years, or even a few minutes, so time doesn’t really matter, here.”

     “Yes, but I believe if someone had attempted true love’s kiss, I would have been awake far sooner.”

     “If you’re referring to the brave little blind boy, he outright refused,” Chris deadpanned, sipping his wine. “And Makkachin’s tried to, it didn’t work. Probably not that kind of spell anyway.”

     “Like you’d know,” Viktor sours, actually hurt. Then again, Yuuri probably did hate him. He frowned at the roll still in his hands. The rest of the table still staring at the pair of them.

     “Maybe the cure was you just needed a nap,” teased one of the teenagers. That end of the table devolved into quiet laughter.

     “Nice comeback,” Viktor smiled, pretending the crack had made him feel better. It hadn’t. “Chris, I want to take Makkachin for a walk, but I need to go to my room to get my shoes. Can you take me?”

     “You’re not going out alone, not after this morning,” Chris replied, his plate now piled with mashed potatoes and a damp looking beet greens salad. Viktor watched him drizzle roast beef gravy over the lot of it. “And I already convinced Makkachin to go for a walk earlier, he was nearly inseperable from you. Yuuri took him out with Vicchan, you don’t need to worry about it.”

     “But I need a walk, and- wait, Yuuri’s dog is here? When did that happen?”

     “A few hours before we got here, presumably. He was making a right mess of the parlor when I passed it.” He paused to stuff his face with potato. “Don’t you have a story to finish? Your audience is waiting.” Viktor blushed softly, not having realized that he was still being waited on.

     “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realize,” he spoke up. There isn’t much else for me to tell, I fell asleep shortly after Yuuri scared the fairy away. But from the looks of it, he worked really hard to get me back to the inn we were staying at.”

     “He dragged you through the woods, you looked like you fell out of a tree,” Chris commentates, waving his fork to accent his words. “He said he used his method for dragging sacks of potatoes up and down the stairs to get you back to us.”

     Viktor supported his head with his hand, leaning on the table. Now he really felt bad. Yuuri had dragged him through the woods like a sack of potatoes to save him from an overenthusiastic fairy who wanted - no, _needed -_ to escort him to see his mom. But if she was going to visit him in his dreams, anyway, couldn’t she have _just_ done that, instead of send her sadistic lady in waiting? In his silence, he hadn’t realized that Josef was speaking until Chris elbowed his arm to drag him out of his thoughts.

     “Well, fairies or no fairies, you’ve had a long journey, that I have a feeling has only just begun. Let me know if you need anything at all to make your stay here more comfortable. We’re no inn, and we’re definitely not a palace, but for my best friend’s son, I’ll do just about anything. A toast! To friends,” he says, raising his glass to Viktor and Chris, “to family,” his glass is raised again to his wife, son, and his newfound family he’d found in Toshiya not even a few hours ago. “To health and prosperity, and to our Crown Prince, wherever he may be,” Josef finishes, and the table clinks their glasses together with who they could reach. Viktor only downs his wine and miserably pours himself another glass. The table dissolves into quiet chatter as Josef settles into another boring hunting story.

     “Please bring me to my room, Chris. I was too busy trying to find Yuuri to bother with where I was put,” Viktor whispers, and Chris sighs, reaching for Viktor’s fresh glass of wine.

     “Fine, but no more alcohol. You’re not waking up with a hangover tomorrow, I’m not dealing with it.”

     “That’s only my second glass.”

     “Eat the roll that’s on your plate.” Chris says, ignoring his protests and sipping Viktor’s wine.

     “I’m not hungry anymore.” He’d lost his appetite once Yuuri had looked at him with such a sour expression. Maybe he was still asleep, dreaming this whole thing. The last thing he wanted was for Yuuri to be upset. Had he said something wrong?

     “I’ll bring you something later, then. You probably aren’t going to sleep, anyway, right?”

     “I guess,” Viktor pouted. Chris gave his shoulder a friendly pat.

     “Come on, I’m not carrying you up the stairs this time,” Chris joked, pulling Viktor from his chair. Viktor followed, glad to be able to stand. He didn’t like not being in the same room as Yuuri all of a sudden, especially when everyone else seemed so happy. It felt wrong.

    “Viktor, you’re not staying? You’re going to miss dessert!” Josef calls, but Viktor didn’t look up, lost in thoughts of how to make up the past week to Yuuri without seeming too forward. Chris keeps an arm around his shoulder.

    “His Royal Pain just needs more rest, ironically. I’ll bring some food to him later, I apologize for his behavior. He never did stay at the dinner table back home, either. Homesick for something he never really had.” Viktor pouts, leaning his head on Chris’s shoulder. Chris pats his head, and whistles for Makkachin. The dog gladly trots after him, having had his fill twice over already. On the way up the stairs, Viktor swears he sees the shadow of a tiny fairy on the steps, but he was probably imagining things. He just wanted to drown out the world and plan out the perfect day for him and Yuuri tomorrow. He wanted to work on being a better friend.

 

    Yuuri stares up at the canopy of his four poster, Vicchan happily napping on his chest. He could hardly believe he had yelled at the Prince, let alone a group of nobles… whom he was apparently related to now? He didn’t know what that meant for his social status, but whatever it meant, he didn’t want to think about it for the time being.

    Viktor had just been so embarrassing, going on about how heroic and brave he was. He’d been so scared! And what if the fairy had chose to stay and fight? How would he have won? He didn’t know how to fence! Sure, he’d read about it in books, but that would never be the same as actually practicing. It wasn’t really that big a deal, anyway, right? The fairy was only trying to follow orders. And Yuuri had threatened her? What did that mean, to threaten the Fairy Queen’s personal lady in waiting? Was that the same as threatening the queen? He thought about how heavy the sword had felt in his hand, how cold and hard it was. Could he have really fought a fairy intending to win? He never would have hurt her. Maybe it was better that she had run, Yuuri would have probably hurt her by accident, while trying not to deliberately harm her. That really would have meant war.

     Suddenly he closed his eyes, the feeling of Viktor’s weight in his arms drifting into his head. His warm gaze as Yuuri held him close, trying to keep him awake. His trembling hand as he clung to him, frightened and worried, worried for _Yuuri’s_ safety, he realized, even though he was the one who was truly defenseless, falling asleep as he was. Yuuri sat up, holding Vicchan close to his chest. The dog stirred briefly, before yawning and falling back asleep. Yuuri wanted to follow suit, but his thoughts were bombarding him with thoughts and feelings he didn’t want to confront yet. He was angry with Viktor for leaving him behind, and then for praising him for winging a rescue mission for no other reason than to punish him as soon as it was safe to, mainly for leaving him alone and blind and afraid in the middle of the woods.  

     Part of him felt guilty, but part of him felt like Viktor deserved to suffer, just as Yuuri had the last few weeks, having had to do all those unnecessary chores, and for what? So he could babysit the prince? He’d thought he’d just get the chance to dance with him, at the very least, maybe make awkward but friendly conversation? But no, Viktor had been planning an escape for weeks, years, even, probably ever since he had found his father near dead in a ditch. Maybe even sooner.

     He supposed he could at least forgive Viktor for that last part. He supposed that had it not been for Viktor, he might never have even seen his father again. And yeah, he could also assume that without Viktor’s help, he might never have escaped from Lilia’s iron fist. And maybe Viktor couldn’t entirely be to blame for how much danger they were in now; certainly there were going to be people going after Viktor for many reasons. Wealth. Revenge. Hatred. Greed.

    God, the entire country probably hated Yuuri now… Maybe he could fake his death, too. Man, the look on Lilia’s face when they found the evidence. Would Yuuko be willing to help him? They could make a fake corpse out of glitter and a little elbow grease, maybe dump it into the river and paint it with a little pig’s blood? Tie a note to it on the back of a wanted poster, make it a faked suicide. God, Viktor would probably hate him a little, too, when he found out. Would Viktor be sad? Maybe he could fake his death right now, and disappear into the night, change his name, leave the country. Vicchan could be Petunia and he’d be Lorenzo Faroue, a traveling bard with his amazing dancing poodle. He’d dye his hair, grow a beard. No one would really miss him, would they?

     No, what was Yuuri thinking? Of course his family would miss him. Mari and Toshiya would probably be heartbroken. And just after they were all reunited, too. Yuuri sighed, leaving Vicchan on the bed and going to the window. He wished he could sleep. Maybe then he could just forget that this entire day had ever happened.

    Finding himself restless, he puts on a pair of slippers and lights a candle, deciding to leave his bedchamber altogether so he could explore his new home for the time being; he didn’t really expect to be here for too much longer, they would probably have to leave if Lilia realized that they were there, but for now he wanted to know all the ins and outs of the building. He took Vicchan with him, not wanting to be entirely alone. The dog stirred slightly, but otherwise remained silent.

     It was late now, meaning that most of the house was asleep, although he noticed that the wall sconces had only been recently extinguished, meaning that there still could be a few people awake, and he didn’t want to disturb them if they were. He prayed silently that he would be left alone on his quest for peace and quiet somewhere he could have room to breathe. His chambers were too stifling, as were his four poster’s thick curtains. He couldn’t see any good use for them, unless perhaps to keep heat trapped to the bed in winter.

     As he traveled down the corridor, large paintings and vaguely detailed tapestries covered the walls, obviously faded from generations of hanging there. He briefly wondered if Viktor had portraits this large painted of himself hanging about the castle, and then decided not to think about it, because his mind immediately drifted to the question; would the artist be able to capture that man’s radiance in a single portrait? He quickly moved on, busying himself with other thoughts as he traced the patterns in the incredibly detailed floor runners with his feet. Who had had the time to finish this? Probably someone who was either paid very well, or someone who hated their job so much, they only made beautiful things out of spite. His mind drifted again.

    He didn’t realize where he had ended up until his candle went out, and by then this situation was so eerily familiar, he suddenly wished he hadn’t left his room at all. He tried to ignore it as he looked up at the intricately carved double doors to his left, one with roses and carnations and fleur de lis towering up to the ceiling, and then around to the incredibly detailed wall sconces to his right, which most definitely cast shadows that looked like fancy birds, before turning back to admire the handiwork that had gone into the door, longing for the patience to perfect such a skill, and eventually forgetting why this had felt so familiar. He reached out to trace a rose he found at eye level, only to discover that the doors were opened. He blinked and peeked inside, coming face to face with what could only be a library. He opened the door wider and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He couldn’t help but gawk at all the books, his own collection at home paling in comparison to the one before him. It was a humble library, no doubt smaller than the one his father had perused at the palace, but still incredible, for Yuuri hadn’t seen so many books before in his life. He stopped when he noticed another candle flickering around the corner of a bookshelf, suddenly sensing that he wasn’t alone. He set Vicchan down, who immediately began to explore.

     A brown mass of fur collided into him from behind, and he suddenly realized why he had a deja vu moment before- the last time he had gotten lost without noticing, Makkachin had been there to make him feel not as lost. And sure enough, Makkachin was there to greet him again, no doubt enjoying the silent majesty that a library tends to be. He couldn’t help but assume that Viktor wasn’t too far away, since Makkachin was in here, but he stubbornly kept to himself, instead accepting Makkachin’s company as he silently perused the Karpisek’s expansive and no doubt expensive library.

     Viktor noticed him anyway, looking up from his book when he heard Yuuri accidentally topple a stack of books and a terribly expensive looking glass topped table. He saved the table before it could shatter, but Yuuri winced as the books crashed rather loudly onto the floor. He stood to watch Yuuri collect the books and put them back where they had been before, not wanting to startle him. Makkachin happily trotted over to Viktor, unaware of the tension in the room as Yuuri looked up to notice Viktor staring. Yuuri spoke first, much to Viktor’s surprise; he had expected Yuuri to flee. Yuuri didn’t look at him, pretending not to notice that Viktor’s shirt was unbuttoned again, though at least not to the degree it had been open before.

     “Couldn’t sleep?” he said, and Viktor’s heart instantly melted at Yuuri’s gentle tone.

     “No, you?” was Viktor’s simple reply. There was no need to go into detail, Yuuri knew exactly why Viktor couldn’t sleep.

     “No…” The silence that followed was awkward to Yuuri, and even more so to Viktor. He didn’t like this feeling between them.

     “I… I’m really sorry about this morning. And this evening.”

     “You don’t have anything to apologize about. You said enough at dinner,” Yuuri whispered, and even though his words were soft, Viktor could have sworn there had been a slight venom behind them. He stumbled to correct his mistake, taking a tentative step forward.

     “No, I do. I shouldn’t have left you alone. And I didn’t mean to embarrass you earlier, I’d only meant to-”

     “I knew what you were trying to do. Please, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I just want to forget.” Another uncomfortable silence as Yuuri chose a book from a shelf, flipped it open to the first page, and then the second, before putting it back, clearly not interested. Or maybe he was just trying to ignore the silence.

     “How… did you find the library?” Viktor asked gently, desperately yearning for conversation.

     “I didn’t, I got lost. And my candle burnt out, this manor is a lot bigger than I thought…” Yuuri sighs, choosing another book and flipping through it curiously. “How did you find it?”

     “I asked a chambermaid,” Viktor shrugs, sitting in one of the plush chairs nearby, still giving Yuuri some distance. Yuuri sat down a few chairs away, a different book in his hands. “Everyone is so nice here… I want to stay forever… It’s so cozy here, too. The palace was always hard and cold, but the wooden beams and columns make the atmosphere seem so warm…. It’s different, and… And I feel safe, like I can finally do whatever I want. I don’t have any expectations to meet anymore. Or at least, not ones that are set too high.” he glances at Yuuri, who pretends to be engrossed in his book that was clearly nothing too interesting, seeing as Yuuri wasn’t even turning the page. “If you’d like, I found a collection of romance novels, if you want to read something more interesting. I’m reading one about a noble girl who falls in love with the stable boy, but he ends up being kidnapped by pirates, and she’s almost married off to the duke despite her initial vow to never love again. I’ve only just started it, but I think I’m in love.”

     Yuuri doesn’t reply, hiding his face behind the book he clearly wasn’t reading. Viktor is a little more than put out until Vicchan plops down at Yuuri’s feet, and Viktor gasps softly upon spotting him.

     “The infamous Vicchan! Oh, he’s so cute!” Viktor gushes, sinking to the floor to greet the toy poodle. Vicchan wags his tail and trots over to him to investigate, licking his face. Makkachin was only a little jealous as he sits down next to Viktor, serenely calm as he interacts with the now familiar poodle. Viktor looks on in awe. “Oh, I almost forgot that they had already met before, they’re so sweet together!” Yuuri spares him another glance, peering over the edge of his book at him.

     “Didn’t Chris tell you I took the both of them for a walk earlier? They were very well behaved. Makkachin must have gotten used to Vicchan’s scent from being around me all the time, and then Vicchan probably warmed up to him right away after napping with me before dinner…” Viktor looks up from the poodles snuggling with him on the floor, and up at Yuuri, who hid behind his book again. The fact that the subject of their dogs had brought Yuuri out of his shell intrigued Viktor, and he wanted to see what else he could coax out of Yuuri. The sound of his voice was comforting in a way that Viktor couldn’t describe.

      “Will you tell me more about Vicchan?” Viktor breathes, still staring up at Yuuri from his position on the floor. Yuuri gripped the edges of the book tighter. “Even if you don’t want to talk about everything else, I feel like if you talk about something you’ll start to feel better. You’ve closed yourself off, and the silence is unbearable.” After a few moments considering Viktor’s words, Yuuri sighs, and sets the book aside. He didn’t look at Viktor, though, choosing to look up at the ceiling, where wall sconces that Viktor had lit made the support beams seem to dance like tree branches. Maybe because the beams were stretched with actual sanded tree branches. Rich people actually had good taste, sometimes, he marveled, following the paths of the branches as he thought about what else he could say about Vicchan.

      “What do you already know about Vicchan? I hadn’t even introduced you yet?” Yuuri was curious, and Viktor was glad that Yuuri couldn’t see his guilty blush.

      “Chris mentioned him before. And I met him briefly when we had tea all those years ago. So did Makkachin. You probably don’t remember the details, though, do you?” Viktor sighed, petting both dogs as they rested their heads on his chest.

      “No, I think I blocked most of it out. Maybe I had been too embarrassed to really try and savor the memory? From what multiple people have reminded me with, you took me home with you after finding me on the lake, let me spend the night, and then promptly had tea with me the next morning after escorting me home, where apparently Makkachin and Vicchan were the almost the same size? I think I mistook Makkachin for a bear at first, even as a puppy, he knocked me over. Maybe because I was so scared…” Yuuri laughed nervously, crossing his hands over the book that was now on his lap. He closed his eyes, breathing in, trying desperately to grasp the distant memory. “Then I think I mistook him for Vicchan, but he was still a little bigger than him, maybe almost the size that Vicchan is now? And then… You appeared, sliding onto the ice like a fairy in your boots.” Now that he thought about it, it was his first time ever meeting Viktor up close. And it had been dark, so no wonder he hadn’t recognized him at first. Viktor listened intently, his breath caught into his throat as Yuuri recounted the very night Viktor first saw Yuuri, love at first sight. He could see Yuuri struggling to remember. Had he really suppressed the most beautiful memory Viktor had ever remembered?

      “Your hair had been longer then, you… I didn’t recognize you in the moonlight. You looked every bit the fairy I never knew you were, and I almost believed you were until you named yourself, and led me up- no, carried me to the castle. I kept tripping in my ice skates. And then I’d fallen asleep somewhere along the way, and I woke up to someone yelling. I think… Yakov? He was angry that you had brought me home. And then I found out that you were the prince, and… And I just felt so small in that expensive bed… I was scared, and upset. But you were still so gentle. We… were only children, but you were so kind to me. You didn’t even know who I was, and yet you treated me like a friend, and I couldn’t even look at you. I still can’t look at you. You’re still just… so beautiful,” Yuuri admits, not realizing he had said it out loud until he felt Viktor beside him on the couch, the dogs still curled up on the floor. He blushed, still not looking at the man beside him, all too aware of his careful gaze. He surprised himself as all the memories of those first few weeks of their tentative relationship kept flooding back, unable to stop talking all of a sudden. “I guess I never really believed that such an important person would like me, and… Even after you swore that you would write everyday, I… some part of me didn’t believe you. But some part of me wanted to. And then nothing came, and… And I waited. I wanted to get your letters. I’d even been ready to write one back, even though I had no idea what I would write. I even spent money on good paper and ink, all the money I’d earned from helping around the inn. And then nothing came, and I… I don’t know, I just… I felt betrayed, and told myself that of course the prince would never write to me. Of course the prince didn’t want to be my friend. He’s the prince. I felt used, and I was only twelve. I… Didn’t want to open myself up to anyone anymore. So I used the paper and ink to write out how selfish Prince Viktor was, making promises he would never keep. Of course I burned the pages. I didn’t want anyone to see how upset I was. I gave the rest of my good ink to my teacher as a gift, knowing I’d never use it again, and used the rest of the paper to make paper dolls for my sister for Christmas. Might as well not waste good paper and ink, right?” Yuuri laughed bitterly, ignoring the tears that burned his eyes and throat. Viktor was right. Talking about everything was helping. But it hurt to say, even as he got it all out.

     “And of course you’re just as selfish now. You’re probably not even listening.” He barely noticed as Viktor lifted his hand to wipe his tears away, not realizing he was actually crying until Viktor’s hand brushed his cheek. His hand was so soft, it made Yuuri’s tears fall faster. Viktor cupped his cheek gently, turning Yuuri’s face toward him. Yuuri let him, sniffling quietly as he looked at Viktor for the first time in probably three days, really looked at him, their eyes meeting in the dim light of the flickering candles on the wall.

     “Why are you looking at me like that?” Yuuri wondered aloud, as Viktor brushed another tear away. Viktor sat admiring his eyes, and Yuuri finally noticed that Viktor’s eyes were brimming with tears, too. “Viktor?”

     “I never knew. I thought I told you how many letters I tried to send. I’d wanted so badly for a friend, Yuuri, I thought… I thought…. I thought I’d go mad writing them, because I didn’t know why my letters weren’t getting through to you until about a week ago. I’m so sorry, Yuuri, I never meant to hurt you.” Both his hands were on Yuuri’s cheeks now, and Yuuri couldn’t help but blush, suddenly simultaneously forgetting why he had been upset at him before, and remembering how badly he had wanted to be friends with the man in front of him. And he still wouldn’t trust Viktor with his heart. He didn’t want it to be broken again. He studied Viktor’s face, the silence between them stretching until it wasn’t as awkward anymore as Yuuri tried to think of something more to say, and Viktor just gently wiped Yuuri’s tears away, an image of younger Viktor floating to the front of his mind as he stared. Damn, puberty had hit Viktor like a ton of bricks.

     That thought only made Yuuri blush darker, and he had to look away. Suddenly Viktor laughed, and Yuuri had the sick realization that he had _said that aloud_. He’d just admitted Viktor was beautiful twice in less than ten minutes. Aloud. To his face. He wanted to die.

     “Well, I’d have to say the same of you, Yuuri,” Viktor whispered, his smile bright. He turned Yuuri’s face back up to his, as Yuuri struggled to make eye contact without internally combusting. “You’re far more beautiful than I can describe.” Viktor’s hands were gentle still as he reached up to brush the hair from Yuuri’s face, and suddenly Yuuri was painfully aware of his own heartbeat in his throat.

    “You don’t mean that,” Yuuri whispered back, looking away again, his face still comfortably resting in Viktor’s warm hands.

    “I do,” Viktor breathes, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. “And I’ll never stop thinking it, either. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. I never thought I would feel this way for anyone. And yet here you are, saving me over and over again while half blind and getting lost while looking for somewhere comfortable to think.”

    And then Yuuri felt as if he might be able to believe it, that Viktor thought he was beautiful. He’d said it enough times. In the stairway at the castle. At the ball. In his letter. At dinner not even a few hours ago, and several times just right now. He looked up at Viktor again, suddenly filled with hope that sure, maybe he could believe that Viktor thought he was beautiful, even if for the few minutes in this library while everyone was asleep. As he gazed up at Viktor, the hands on his cheeks were suddenly more sure of themselves, and he found himself being held more tenderly, and he closed his eyes, the touch sending sparks down his spine. He felt warm all over. Was Viktor using his magic to help him feel better? No, this didn’t feel like fairy magic. This felt much deeper. He wasn’t sure exactly how it was even possible, that he felt so relaxed in Viktor’s arms.

     Viktor gazed down at him, his heart swelling at just how beautiful Yuuri Katsuki was, even as he closed his eyes, completely at peace. Ever so gently, Viktor stroked Yuuri’s hair back and cupped the back of his head, stroking him there and watching how Yuuri’s brow furrowed and relaxed at the same time, and, not for the first time, Viktor felt the strongest urge to just kiss him.

     But when Viktor leaned in to do just that, Yuuri opened his eyes, and suddenly wrenched himself out of his arms, his heart pounding like a rabbit’s. They stared at each other for another minute, Viktor with his mouth parted for a kiss, and Yuuri poised for flight, their eyes both wide with panic. Viktor slowly reached for him again, and Yuuri ducked, collecting his dog, before tripping on his way to hurry back to his room.

     “Yuuri- Yuuri wait-” Viktor called, rising to follow him.

     But the corridor was empty when he reached it, all aside from a single slipper, and Viktor couldn’t follow him, having no idea where Yuuri went. He collected the slipper and stared down at it, his heart heavy with guilt for making Yuuri feel uncomfortable yet again.

     All that and Viktor still didn’t know where Yuuri’s room was. Viktor cursed himself for his forwardness, and went back inside the library to extinguish the lights before he led Makkachin back to his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this was a short chapter. Haha. 
> 
> Poor Yuuri. Poor Viktor. God help these smitten idiots.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so it still needs work. But doesn't everything? 
> 
> I promise the next chapter will come sooner. I promise. I'll try and get working on it sooner. For now... don't forget to visit my blog, [cindersanddiamonds](https://cindersanddiamonds.tumblr.com/)!


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